Bears' PFF grades on defense reveal 3 huge standouts vs. Browns

The defense might have been even more interesting.

Chicago held Cleveland scoreless after the second quarter, forced three turnovers, and saw several impressive performances from players fighting for spots on the 53-man roster.

According to PFF, linebacker D'Marco Jackson led the Bears' defense with a spectacular 91.7 overall grade, followed by Jamree Kromah at 84.3 and Beanie Bishop Jr. at 82.4.

Those three performances tell much of the story of Chicago's defensive afternoon.

D'Marco Jackson earns Bears' highest defensive PFF grade

Jackson didn't generate the headlines that Kromah or Bishop did Saturday, but PFF thought he was the Bears' best defensive player. And it wasn't particularly close.

Jackson finished with a 91.7 overall defensive grade, including an 80.0 run-defense grade and 78.9 tackling grade.

Jamree Kromah's breakout looks even better after PFF grades

If there was one Bears defender everyone noticed Saturday, it was Kromah. PFF noticed him, too.

Kromah's 84.3 overall grade ranked second on Chicago's defense. He also earned a 78.2 run-defense grade and 75.8 tackling grade.

The numbers complement what was already an outstanding box-score performance. Kromah finished with six tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Ben Johnson praised Kromah afterward for his get-off and relentlessness, saying the Bears could feel his presence throughout the game.

There's always a temptation to overreact to a preseason breakout, particularly when it comes from a player battling at the bottom of the roster. But Kromah is making that increasingly difficult.

The Bears need depth along their defensive front. If Kromah continues playing like this, he might be transforming the conversation from whether he'll make the roster to how many snaps he can earn.

Beanie Bishop Jr.'s two interceptions lead to strong grade

It's difficult to have a more productive day in the secondary than Bishop did.

Bishop intercepted both Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel as Chicago's defense took control of the game, helping the Bears finish with three takeaways. PFF gave Bishop an 82.4 overall grade, third-best on the defense, along with an 88.2 coverage grade.

Bishop's opportunities matter more than they might have when training camp began because Chicago's secondary has already taken significant injury hits. Coby Bryant underwent knee surgery and is expected to miss months, while Kyler Gordon has missed substantial practice time. There's no projected return date, either.

The Bears need more depth; Bishop just gave them a reason to believe he can provide some.

Bears' defensive line produces several encouraging grades

Kromah wasn't alone up front. James Lynch finished fifth on the defense with a 75.9 overall grade, while Daniel Hardy checked in eighth at 70.5.

Rookie Jordan van den Berg continued his encouraging summer with a 69.1 overall grade, placing him 12th among Bears defenders. Perhaps more importantly, PFF gave van den Berg an 83.3 tackling grade. Even Dayo Odeyingbo finished at 69.5 in limited work.

The defensive front entered training camp as one of the biggest question marks on the roster. The Bears need players beyond their established starters to emerge, and Saturday offered at least some evidence that they might have more usable depth than initially expected.

PFF wasn't impressed by several notable Bears defenders

Not every grade was encouraging.

Rookie first-round pick Dillon Thieneman finished 24th with a 52.4 overall grade, while Josh Blackwell landed immediately behind him at 52.0.

Blackwell's grade included an 87.2 run-defense mark, but his 43.9 coverage grade dragged down his overall score.

Austin Booker finished 23rd with a 53.7 overall grade over just eight defensive snaps, making his performance difficult to draw sweeping conclusions from.