The Chicago Bears hosted the Miami Dolphins in their first preseason game on Sunday afternoon and it was time for players to plead their case to make the roster. While some players had standout performances, others stood out in a different way that could keep them off the team when final cuts are made.
Ben Johnson still has two weeks to decide who will be on the team when they open the season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8. But in the case of one playmaker, he didn’t do much to help his stock, turning in a dreadful performance that made him one of the Bears’ biggest losers.
Bears win yesterday if this is completed
— Dave (@dave_bfr) August 11, 2025
John Jackson gotta catch this pic.twitter.com/35OPfnrhdP
Bears WR John Jackson III May Have Lost His Job After First Preseason Game
The back end of Chicago’s depth chart is wide open at wide receiver and it appeared that John Jackson III had an opportunity this season. A former collegiate teammate of Caleb Williams at USC, Jackson was cut by the Bears and spent last season on the practice squad but had a chance to push for a roster spot when he took the field in the second half.
Instead, Jackson caught the attention of the coaching staff in a bad way. The 25-year-old was one of the worst players on the field in Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, logging a 36.3 overall grade according to Pro Football Focus. The performance also registered as one of the worst in the first week of preseason action, finishing with the sixth-lowest overall grade among qualifying receivers.
Sometimes PFF numbers don’t tell the entire story but Jackson’s analytics suggest his grade was reflective of his performance. Jackson played nine snaps but caught one of his four targets for seven yards. He also averaged 0.78 yards per route run and dropped an Austin Reed pass that would have set-up a potential game-winning field goal with 21 seconds to play.
These numbers may mean little with such a small sample size but it could go a long way toward making one of the easiest cuts of the preseason. Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus are locked into roster spots at the beginning of the year and second-round pick Luther Burden III also will make the team thanks to his high draft investment last April. Devin Duvernay is also likely to make the team as a kick and punt returner, leaving limited opportunities for Jackson to make the team.
Tyler Scott, JP Richardson and Samori Toure also didn’t do much to claim a spot, but Jackson’s performance was glaring as Jahdae Walker (three catches, 41 yards, TD) and Maurice Alexander (four catches, 19 yards, TD) had better days, potentially keeping their lead on the depth chart.
It’s just one preseason game but it has a lot of bearing for a player like Jackson that’s trying to make the roster. With a rough afternoon, Jackson will have to rebound over the next two weeks to stick in Chicago or risk spending another year on the practice squad.