The Chicago Bears' home opener didn't exactly go the way everyone had wished. After scoring a ridiculous amount of points in the first game, they didn't manage a single touchdown on Sunday, only managing a single field goal. The Bears' rookies still managed to have a relatively successful day given the circumstances, but Dillon Thieneman again dominated the rookie's listed.
Bears rookies provided bright spots on an otherwise gloomy afternoon
Dillon Thieneman again led the rookie class with six tackled and two assisted tackles. Only Tyrique Stevenson had the edge on Thieneman by a single assisted tackle. Thieneman's highlight of the day came from a Justin Jefferson stop in the end zone preventing a touchdown.
Malik Muhammad again made his mark on the game, with encouraging stats coming from the young cornerback. Muhammad didn't get the start this time around, but look for his name in the future. You'll surely see another start from him.
The Bears' center of the future Logan Jones took snaps on special teams, but again stood in line behind Garrett Bradbury. Bradbury had an issue with penalties, causing many fans online to be calling for Jones' promotion. Keyshaun Elliott also received special teams work, but didn't log any meaningful stats.
Sam Roush saw a much bigger role on the offense than he did in Week 1. He collected his first career NFL reception, but it was his lone catch on three separate targets. Roush also had an illegal shift call that erased a reception from Loveland, and additionally Roush was responsible for the missed block that resulted in a blocked punt. The lack of points there ended up not making a difference, but it's not great to see that out of a rookie tight end.
After a quiet first game, Zavion Thomas came into Week 2 with a clearly defined role. He combined three kickoff returns for 68 yards, with his longest being 30 yards. With the rest of the receiving corp, Thomas has yet to take on an offensive role, but in time, that's subject to change.
Jordan van den Berg made an appearance, making one single solo tackle to cease Aaron Jones in his tracks. He'll continue to get snaps on a rotational basis, but with the return of Ozzy Trapilo, his stock may have gone down a peg, but that doesn't make it worthless.
Skyler Thomas received snaps on special teams where he contributed with the first tackle of the game. It's a larger impact than he had in the first game, but he'll be a name to watch in the future.
Beau Gardner is the Bears' long snapper, and as a rookie long snapper, he's the natural "easy target". Many teams' special teams units will alter their game plan around this, but Gardner has so far held steady. He had two high snaps today, but thanks to the excellent efforts of Tory Taylor, they were both reigned in.
Chicago's rookies experienced both ends of the NFL learning curve on Sunday, but in the meantime they produced several moments of encouraging football. The loss on the day wasn't exactly as glamorous as Week 1, but it offered a much more realistic glimpse at the Bears' 2026 rookie class.
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