The Chicago Bears are set to play their first preseason game of 2019. Expectations are neither team will be playing their starters much, if at all. This doesn’t mean there won’t be things to watch in this game. Plenty of position battle will be taking place. Of course, the kicker battle is front and center between Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro. It will be interesting to see how the Bears coaches handle that situation.
Then there are the crowded situations at wide receiver, defensive line, and cornerback that need sorting out as well. Suffice to say the team has plenty of things to monitor. One that some people may not be thinking much about? That being their opponents’ roster. It is possible that the Bears could end up tweaking their roster further by the end of the preseason with players from other teams.
This game against Carolina offers a chance to evaluate several players on that roster. Some of whom will likely be available in the next month. Here are a few names that might be on the bubble the Bears may want to consider.
Possible Chicago Bears roster targets playing for Panthers
Brandon Greene (OT)
Some Bears fans may recognize the name. Greene was actually an undrafted free agent out of Alabama whom they signed in 2017. He just missed making the final roster that year and ended up on their practice squad. Last season he was among the final cuts on September 1st. From there Greene headed for the Alliance of American Football where he joined their Birmingham Iron team.
He did enough good things there to draw interest from Carolina once that league folded. Expectations are though that he won’t survive final cuts. Not with the Panthers having drafted Greg Little in the 2nd round.
Jaydon Mickens (WR)
Yes, the Bears seem overburdened with wide receivers but there is no such thing as too many weapons. Mickens has also already proven he can be a playmaker at the NFL. Not just on offense too. He was a revelation for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 as a rookie. He had a punt return touchdown against Cincinnati early in the season and then scored two on offense in a big win over Houston. The Jaguars never explored his potential further though. Don’t expect Carolina to do much better.
Corn Elder (CB)
The Bears already have what appear to be two rock solid choices for their slot cornerback position in Buster Skrine and Duke Shelley. Adding a third seems rather redundant at first thought. Still, having several cornerbacks who can play that complicated position is never a bad thing. People get on Elder about his 5’10 size but there’s no question he has the quickness and physicality to play against good receivers. If Carolina isn’t willing to give him an opportunity, Chicago might.
Vernon Butler (DT)
Teams are always reluctant to give up on former 1st round picks but things have reached a point where the Panthers may be ready to move on from Vernon Butler. The defensive tackle out of Louisiana Tech has been a disappointment over the past three seasons, amassing just two sacks. If they do part ways, this is somebody the Bears need to think about adding. While his pass rush skill may be lacking, he’s an underrated run defender. Depth at nose tackle is something this defense needs behind Eddie Goldman. Butler would make a nice fit.
