5 things to watch in Bears vs. Browns preseason opener

Sure, Saturday's preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns won't count in the standings, and most of the starters will watch from the sideline. But that doesn't mean the game is meaningless.

Far from it, actually.

Ben Johnson confirmed that Caleb Williams and a number of Chicago's starters won't play Saturday, shifting the focus toward position battles and young players who suddenly have an opportunity to make their case in an actual game.

And considering how many questions remain on the Bears' depth chart, there will be plenty worth watching.

Here are five things Bears fans should pay close attention to against Cleveland.

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1. Tyson Bagent gets an extended opportunity

No Caleb Williams means Tyson Bagent gets the keys to Johnson's offense.

Johnson announced Thursday that Bagent will start against Cleveland and is likely to play the entire first half, giving the fourth-year quarterback an extended opportunity to run Chicago's offense.

Bagent enters his fourth NFL season with 12 career appearances and four starts. He's completed 99 of 149 passes for 917 yards and three touchdowns in his career.

Saturday isn't about determining whether Bagent can challenge Williams. He can't. Instead, it's about determining how comfortable the Bears should feel if Williams misses time during the regular season.

Bagent has another year of experience under his belt and, more importantly, another year working within Johnson's offense. He's looked sharp at various points throughout training camp, including a budding connection with Kaden Davis.

The Bears have legitimate expectations in 2026. Having a backup quarterback capable of keeping the season afloat for a game or two could become enormously important.

And, remember: Bagent is likely auditioning for a starting job in 2027. The better he does, the higher the draft pick the Bears will receive in an eventual trade.

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2. The left tackle battle finally gets a live test

This is the most important Bears position battle of the preseason.

Kiran Amegadjie is expected to start at left tackle against Cleveland, while Jedrick Wills Jr. should receive close to an equal number of snaps.

Offensive line coach Dan Roushar described their performances as relatively even to this point, which is precisely why Saturday matters. Practice reps can only reveal so much about an offensive tackle.

Now Amegadjie and Wills get to block another team's pass rushers in an actual game environment.

Amegadjie might have more at stake. The former third-round pick has had a difficult first two seasons in Chicago, appearing in six games with one start as a rookie before spending most of 2025 on injured reserve. The Bears haven't given up on him, but if he struggles this preseason, that could quickly change.

Wills, meanwhile, was signed to provide another legitimate option at a position the Bears knew could become problematic following Ozzy Trapilo's injury.

Braxton Jones remains part of the picture, too, and Trapilo could potentially return later in camp.

3. Can Jordan van den Berg keep the hype train rolling?

Few Bears rookies have generated more unexpected buzz during training camp than Jordan van den Berg. Now comes the fun part: watching him in action.

The sixth-round rookie has repeatedly flashed during padded practices, earning opportunities with the first-team defense during inside-run work and producing disruptive reps in one-on-one pass-rush drills.

Van den Berg doesn't need to dominate Cleveland's offensive line to validate everything we've seen at Halas Hall. What Bears fans should be watching for is whether the traits that have stood out in practice (his first-step quickness, power, and relentless playing style) translate to live action.

Chicago needs young defensive linemen like van den Berg to emerge. Grady Jarrett isn't part of the Bears' long-term future, and the defensive front entered camp as one of the biggest question marks on the roster.

If van den Berg can become a legitimate rotational piece as a rookie, Ryan Poles may have found exactly the kind of Day 3 value that can transform an otherwise ordinary draft class.

(Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune)

4. Which young defensive back takes advantage?

The Bears probably didn't anticipate needing this much secondary depth before playing their first preseason game.

Then training camp happened.

Coby Bryant underwent knee surgery and is expected to miss four to six months. Kyler Gordon has remained sidelined with a soft-tissue injury. Suddenly, opportunities are everywhere.

That makes rookie Malik Muhammad one of the most interesting Bears players to watch Saturday.

The fourth-round pick has already earned positive reviews for his confidence, aggressiveness, and ability to respond after losing a rep. Those are important characteristics for an NFL cornerback, but now he'll have a chance to put them on display against Cleveland.

Muhammad arrived in Chicago with extensive starting experience at Texas, so he's more polished than the typical developmental Day 3 cornerback. And the Bears may need him sooner than expected.

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5. Who makes the first surprise push for the 53-man roster?

This is what preseason football is really about. Every August, somebody enters a game as an afterthought and leaves it as one of the biggest stories of the weekend.

The Bears have plenty of candidates.

The absence of several established starters means younger receivers, defensive linemen, defensive backs and special-teamers should get extended opportunities against Cleveland.

Chicago released its first unofficial depth chart this week, but there's a reason "unofficial" is attached to it. Johnson and his staff still have weeks of evaluations ahead before determining which players will survive the cut to 53, and Saturday provides a different kind of scouting opportunity than training camp.

The Bears aren't playing Saturday to prove they're ready to defend their NFC North crown. Most of the players responsible for doing that will be in street clothes.

It's about Bagent proving he's ready to start somewhere in the NFL. It's about finding a left tackle. It's about discovering whether van den Berg's impressive camp is real and whether Muhammad is ready for a bigger role than originally anticipated.

And somewhere on the Bears' sideline Saturday afternoon could be a player we're barely talking about right now who forces his way onto the 53-man roster.

That's preseason football.