Bears roster bubble: Which players helped or hurt their cause in Week 1

The Chicago Bears opened the preseason with a 19-14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, where there were plenty of players who stood out — either in a good way or bad way.

With the first roster cuts set for Tuesday — where GM Ryan Poles will have to trim the roster from 90 to 85 — there were a handful of players who helped their chances of competing for a spot on the 53-man roster with strong preseason outings against the Chiefs. And there were others who might’ve hurt their chances.

Following Chicago’s Week 1 preseason win, here’s a look at which roster-bubble players helped or hurt their cause.

Helped: WR Tajae Sharpe

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With a depleted wide receiver group, Tajae Sharpe is taking advantage of his opportunities in practice and live action, where he’s showing he can be a playmaker. Sharpe caught both passes thrown his way for 44 yards, including an insane sideline catch from quarterback Justin Fields. It certainly helps that Sharpe has already been impressing in training camp practice, where he’s starting to develop trust with Fields that should go a long way in him making the final roster.

Hurt: CB Lamar Jackson

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Lamar Jackson has also seen increased opportunities with the starters due to injuries at cornerback. While he’s been impressing in practice, there are some concerns with his tackling that reared their ugly head on Saturday. That was evident on the Chiefs’ opening possession, where Jackson failed to wrap up running back Isaih Pacheco on first-and-goal from the 10-yard line. As Jackson looks to make a push for one of those final cornerback spots, he’s going to need to make those kind of plays moving forward.

Helped: LB Jack Sanborn

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When it comes down to those final roster spots, usually special teams contributions go a long way. If that’s the case, undrafted rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn has a good chance to make the roster. Sanborn shined on both defense and special teams, which included notching an interception and fumble recovery on defense that helped spawn Chicago’s second-half comeback. Sanborn added five tackles, including one tackle-for-loss, and a pass breakup, as well as two tackles on special teams.

Hurt: LB Matt Adams

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Free-agent addition Matt Adams is competing for the starting strong-side linebacker job, but he’s not off to a great start. Adams struggled in coverage against the Chiefs, where Roquan Smith’s absence was felt in a huge way. During Kansas City’s opening drive, Patrick Mahomes exploited Adams often. Adams will still likely make the roster given his experience in Eberflus’ defense. But it’s certainly not helping his case for landing the starting SAM linebacker job.

Helped: RB Trestan Ebner

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At this point, it feels difficult to classify rookie Trestan Ebner as a bubble player. But there’s not much guaranteed at running back outside of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. With that said, Ebner certainly boosted his stock with an impressive rookie debut. Ebner had six carries for 31 yards (5.2 average) and one catch for a 12-yard touchdown. He showcased the speed and versatility that’s made him one of the more exciting players to watch this summer. And he’s making a strong case for becoming a roster lock at this point.

Helped: DT Trevon Coley

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Veteran defensive tackle Trevon Coley is one of the newest members of the Bears, but it didn’t take him long to make a strong impression against the Chiefs. Coley had an impressive second half, where he had two sacks, two tackles-for-loss, three QB hits and one pass breakup. There’s certainly some competition there at defensive tackle behind Justin Jones, and it’s strong performances like this that could help Coley make a push for a roster spot.

Helped: LB DeMarquis Gates

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While Jack Sanborn stole the spotlight on Saturday, linebacker DeMarquis Gates was also impressive on defense and special teams for the Bears. Gates forced the fumble on running back Derrick Gore, which was recovered by Sanborn and led to a field goal for Chicago. Gates totaled three tackles, including one tackle-for-loss, on defense and added another tackle on special teams. Gates excelled at the USFL level, and he showed that same impact at the NFL level, albeit against reserves.

Helped: WR Dazz Newsome

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Dazz Newsome is reminding everyone that he’s still very much competing for one of those final roster spots at wide receiver. Newsome showcased his versatility and playmaking ability on offense. Newsome caught one pass for a 13-yard touchdown from Trevor Siemian. Newsome also had one rush for 13 yards — where he almost had another touchdown on an end around in the red zone. While Newsome was listed as the primary punt returner, he muffed his lone punt return and wound up losing 11 yards on the return. But he rebounded nicely on offense.

Helped: DT Micah-Dew Treadway

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Undrafted rookie Micah Dew-Treadway could be a dark horse this preseason. Dew-Treadway was listed as Angelo Blackson’s immediate backup at nose tackle on the first depth chart, an indication the team has been impressed so far in camp. Dew-Treadway came up big for the Bears on Saturday with the game-sealing sack on fourth down. Plays like that could ultimately help Dew-Treadway make a push for a roster spot.

Hurt: DBs Jayson Stanley, Michael Joseph

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There’s nothing that hurts a roster bubble player’s chance at making the final roster than an injury. Defensive backs Michael Joseph and Jayson Stanley both exited Saturday’s game with injuries that could hurt their chances at making a push for a spot. Joseph suffered a hamstring injury that had him doubtful to return while Stanley was ruled out immediately with a knee injury.

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Story originally appeared on Bears Wire