The Titans fell short in the preseason opener, losing 23-17 to the Chicago Bears. 

It's preseason, so we know wins and losses don't matter as much as progression and development. Luckily for the Titans, there was plenty of the latter in the Windy City. 

I want to identify the three performances that stood out the most to me on Saturday.

OLB Caleb Murphy

Murphy played at DII Ferris State in college, but he looked like he belonged on an NFL field Saturday. 

The edge-rusher collected three tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one QB hit. Even when Murphy didn't get to the QB, he was perpetually in the backfield. He looked explosive off of the edge and seemingly has the speed and swim moves to make it in the NFL. 

Murphy collected 25.3 sacks over 15 games in college. He flashed some of that ability on Saturday and could end up being a quality depth option.

RB Julius Chestnut

Tyjae Spears looked awesome on Saturday, but we expected that from the third-round rookie. With Derrick Henry and Spears at the top of the depth chart, we needed to see which RB would secure the third spot. 

If the season started tomorrow, Chestnut would get the job. The RB took seven carries for 46 yards and also caught two passes for 15 yards. Chestnut made some nice cuts and was tough to bring down all afternoon. He looks shiftier and more explosive than Hassan Haskins. 

DB Eric Garror

Eric Garror is a name that Titans fans should get familiar with. Garror’s name kept being called all afternoon, as the UDFA was seemingly always near the ball. 

Garror ended the day with four tackles and two tackles for loss. If you watched the game, you would've seen Garror prevent multiple big gains by making strong open-field tackles. Finding corners who are sure tacklers is vital in today's NFL, and Garror seems to be exactly that. I want to see Garror get more opportunities. 

Another factor that could help Garror is his ability to return punts. The rookie took two punts for 26 yards on Saturday and was close to breaking for a big gain on the second. Garror returned three punts for TDs in college, so we know he is capable. The Louisiana product may just sneak onto the roster as the final cornerback.

Three Bears who impressed in preseason opener against Titans

A couple of young players had impact performances to open the preseason.

Featured image via © Jamie Sabau | 2023 Aug 12