The Chicago Bears suffered defeat at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts in the second week of the preseason. 

It wasn't all bad, however, as a few Bears really cemented their case to make this roster. 

On the other hand, several players were complete duds in this game. Today, let's take a look at the four winners and three losers for the Bears. 

Winner: QB Tyson Bagent

After PJ Walker received $2M in guarantees this offseason, I thought the QB2 job was essentially wrapped. However, both UDFA Tyson Bagent and veteran backup Nathan Peterman have turned this into a real competition. 

Bagent has been especially impressive. As a UDFA out of tiny Shepherd University, nobody expected Bagent to make a serious run at a roster spot. Even after impressing in camp, I figured Bagent was ticketed for a practice squad spot. 

Against the Colts, however, Bagent was almost perfect. Bagent finished 9/10 for 76 yards and a 98.3 rating. The rookie has done everything he's been asked to do and looked good doing it. I don't see how the rookie doesn't make this roster now. 

Loser: QB PJ Walker

As I stated in the previous slide, Walker seemed destined to be QB2 at one point. Now, it’s far from a sure thing. 

Walker again struggled in preseason week two, finishing just 1/4 for six yards and was sacked twice. Walker has not looked comfortable this preseason like Bagent and Peterman have. 

The Bears may still keep Walker due to the guarantees he received, and due to his starting experience. However, if the team was solely going off of preseason performance, Walker would not make this roster. 

Winner: WR Daurice Fountain

Fountain has been one of the most surprising contributors this summer. Fountain was often an afterthought when predicting the final roster for the Bears, but that can no longer be the case. 

Fountain caught one pass for 25 yards against the Titans last week. Against the Colts, Fountain was the offensive star for the Bears, collecting five catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. Fountain looks like a legitimate deep-threat option in Chicago. 

Assuming DJ Moore, Tyler Scott, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, and Equanimeous St. Brown are locks, that likely means only one spot is available. Can Fountain beat out veteran Dante Pettis, Velus Jones Jr., and Nsimba Webster? I think he should be the front-runner. 

Loser: WR Dante Pettis

In the previous slide, I mentioned that Fountain has probably separated himself from the pack at the bottom of the WR depth chart. Pettis is a notable name who hurt his chances against the Colts. 

Pettis collected just two catches for 13 yards. The veteran also returned two punts for just five yards. Pettis didn't play in the first preseason game and missed much of the offseason program due to injury. 

With Pettis failing to stand out as a receiver or returner, it would be surprising to see him on this roster come Week 1. 

Winner: DE Terrell Lewis

Lewis just continues to impress this summer. The veteran edge rusher collected two sacks against the Titans and added one more against the Colts. This is also the second consecutive game that Lewis collected a strip sack. 

Even when Lewis didn't get to the QB, he made life miserable for the Colts' offensive line. Lewis looks explosive off the edge and has a nice swim move to get past the tackle. It feels like Lewis has secured his roster spot after two solid performances in a row. 

Loser: RB Travis Homer

Homer may not have done enough to earn his roster spot this far. Homer took five carries for just 13 yards. The veteran back, who is usually a strong receiving back, only caught one pass for four yards. 

Homer is usually thought of as a special teams ace, but is that enough to earn a roster spot? The team has not used Homer as a returner, so that's one less way the veteran could help. 

It's assumed that Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, and D'Onta Foreman are locks, with the fullback Khari Blasingame also a likely inclusion. Does the team need to keep Homer, or could that roster spot be better used elsewhere? 

Winner: LB Mykal Walker

Wait, who? The Bears just claimed Walker last week after the former fourth-round pick was shockingly waived by the Atlanta Falcons. Walker’s departure from Atlanta was shocking because the LB was one of the team-leading tacklers in 2022. 

Walker showed that tackling ability against the Colts, finishing with a team-leading seven. Walker will seemingly be given every opportunity to earn a role behind TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds. 

Dylan Cole and DeMarquis Gates have been dealing with injuries, which gives Walker a perfect opportunity to cement his place in Chicago.

Three Bears veterans in danger of being cut before Week 1

The Bears have a couple of veterans who could be on thin ice this summer.

Featured image via © Trevor Ruszkowski | 2023 Aug 19