A lot of people may have looked at this Chicago Bears Arizona Cardinals preseason matchup as a stiff arm from the schedule makers. Don’t the Bears have a enough problems? Why pit them against a constant stream of playoff contenders? First of all, that’s not the makers’ problem. Second, people should be happy about this.

The Cardinals are a team that presents a series of unique challenges. Hence why they’ve had a lot of success the past few years. To be able to play them on the road in a meaningless game is a great opportunity to learn some things without having to sacrifice one of their precious 16 regular season games.

In fact there are five reasons Chicago should be grateful for this. Whether they win, lose or draw is inconsequential. It’s all about these factors.

David Johnson

Contrary to popular myth, the biggest problem with the Bears defense in 2016 was their secondary. Sure it was bad at times and clearly needed help. However, it was hung out to dry a lot of time by just how bad the teams’ run defense was. Chicago ranked 27th in the league against the run last year, allowing a healthy 121 yards per game. Much of this was due to persistent injuries on their front seven.

They gave up 106 in the opener against Denver, but 54 of those was against the third string unit. So there were signs of progress. Of course the Broncos pale in comparison to what the Cardinals can offer with All-Pro running back David Johnson. He amassed over 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 20 touchdowns last season. Chicago will really see for the first time whether they’re ready for that kind of test.

Speedy wide receivers

The Cardinals may not be entirely happy with the state of their receiving corps at present. That’s fair considering there is not a single star in the bunch outside of the aging Larry Fitzgerald. That said they do have one attribute the Bears should be wary of:  speed. Three of their targets in John Brown, J.J. Nelson and Jaron Brown averaged over 13 yards per catch a season ago. It demonstrated their ability to eat up space quickly.

The Bears spent a lot of time and money working to overhaul their secondary this offseason with guys like Prince Amukamara, Marcus Cooper, Quintin Demps and Eddie Jackson. They wanted more athleticism, more range and more instinct on the back end. A great test of such things is against an offense like Arizona that loves to chuck the ball deep in almost any situation.

Chandler Jones and Markus Golden

Mike Glennon was put under a lot of pressure last week in limited action. That was raising the concerns regarding the Bears tackle situation. Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby Massie were serviceable last year but are still considered the weak points of the offensive line. Giving up pressure when the Broncos didn’t even have Von Miller on the field is a definite problem. So this next game will be another pop quiz for them.

Chandler Jones and Markus Golden make up a strong pair of edge rushers for the Cardinals. As a team Arizona had 48 sacks in 2016 and 23.5 came courtesy of those two. So try to imagine their excitement at getting to chase the relatively immobile Glennon in this game. Meanwhile Glennon will have to find a way to speed up the clock in his had that seemed to run a tick too slow at times last year.

That secondary

One of the few knocks on Mitch Trubisky was his decision-making when facing more advanced coverages. It came up against Stanford in the Sun Bowl. Twice the Cardinal fooled him with crafty calls that got him to unload an ill-advised pass that was intercepted including one for a touchdown. It’s the primary reason some are wary of getting Trubisky onto the field too quickly. They aren’t sure if he’s seeing those little intricacies yet.

Few teams are better at this than the Cardinals. They love to throw exotic blitzes at opponents because they have a loaded secondary to afford it. In the past two years they have six interceptions returned for a touchdown. Headlined by Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu, they’ve since added more depth including veterans Tramon Williams and Antoine Bethea. Not to mention second round pick Budda Baker. Given the situation at wide receiver for Chicago, that group will be a challenge to attack.

Bruce Arians

Don’t bother telling Bruce Arians that this is just another preseason game. He’s an old school guy and isn’t the type to waste opportunities. Even if the final result doesn’t matter, Arians wants to crush his opponent on the field. He wants his players to play well. So don’t expect him to take his foot off the gas for this game. There will be no withholding. Expect the Cardinals to attack, both offensively and defensively. If nothing else, this will be a test of how prepared the Bears are.

Are there any Chicago Bears trade targets worth pursuing with the regular season in sight?Sure fans would love to see a number of players shipped out for draft picks. Problem is the Bears don’t have the sort of roster that is strong enough to afford such a proposition. They’re still at a point where acquiring quality talent at reasonable prices is still required.

Expectations for the Bears at this point is lukewarm. While nobody expects another 3-13 disaster, most predictions are for a 5-11 to 7-9 run. Improvement, sure but nothing to celebrate. Nevertheless GM Ryan Pace is always looking for ways to get better. He’s been known to pull off surprise acquisitions before.

Are there any “feasible” Chicago Bears trade targets?

Thus the question must be asked again. With the preseason advancing, what names around the league might be worth exploring? Of course some people won’t be anxious to unload more draft picks after the Bears got done doing that for Mitch Trubisky. At the same time though if a difference-maker can be found for a fourth rounder (of which they have two) it’s worth the risk.

Here are three names worth monitoring over the next three weeks that maybe, just maybe might be made available.

Phillip Dorsett (WR, Indianapolis Colts)

The Bears signed Markus Wheaton this offseason for one express purpose. They needed a wide receiver who had legitimate speed on the field. Somebody who could stress defenses over the top. After an appendectomy and now a broken finger, it’s hard to tell whether Wheaton can ever be what they hope. That means if they want their speed fix, they may have to get a bit more aggressive to find it.

Phillip Dorsett is certainly a name worth watching. It was always puzzling that the Indianapolis Colts drafted him two years ago. Not because he was bad but because they didn’t need him. They already had T.Y. Hilton. After battling injuries his first year, Dorsett was relegated to reserve duty last year and just hasn’t been utilized properly. With a new GM in town, it’s possible they may be looking to unload him.

Mychal Kendricks (ILB, Philadelphia Eagles)

With respect to Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman, they are placeholders at this point. Freeman is 31-years old. That’s advanced for an inside linebacker. Trevathan suffered his second season-ending knee injury in three years in 2016. The pair has a chance to still be effective, but it’s becoming apparent the Bears would be wise to look towards the future. Nick Kwiatkoski was a smart step in that direction.

So what would the harm be in supplementing the competition with another addition? Mychal Kendricks was on his way to potential Pro Bowl status with the Philadelphia Eagles when he first arrived. Unfortunately changes to the coaching staff and defensive schemes stunted his growth. Now stuck in a 4-3 system, he’s not been allowed to play his natural position. Philadelphia has tried to move him but thus far without success.

Aaron Lynch (DE, San Francisco 49ers)

The Bears have talent at outside linebacker. What they don’t have is reliable depth. Leonard Floyd looks like he’s ready for a big year. Behind him? It’s a lot of unknowns. Pernell McPhee is dealing with another knee injury. Lamarr Houston still hasn’t returned from a torn ACL last year. Willie Young is battling age at 32. Chicago really doesn’t have a young option besides Floyd on the edge they can build with.

Aaron Lynch could be a big help in that regard, depending on what the 49ers do with him. The former seventh round pick was drafted in 2014, the final year Vic Fangio was their defensive coordinator. He had six sacks as a rookie. After Fangio left though, Lynch never topped that production. Now the 49ers have shifted to a 4-3 defense. Though he’s had a solid preseason thus far, some wonder if he’s a good fit for a defensive end in that system.

If San Francisco isn’t quite willing to cut him, then perhaps they can be enticed to trade him. He’s only 24-years old. It would be a worthwhile long-term investment for the Bears to reunite him with Fangio.