Here are five Chicago Bears players whose stock went up or down in the Week 3 preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.
NASHVILLE -- The Chicago Bears sat a majority of their starters in Saturday's 24-15 win against the Tennessee Titans to close out the preseason.
Head coach Ben Johnson's starting units got plenty of work in Thursday's joint practice, which produced some mixed results for the offense and defense.
With the preseason officially over, NFL teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, Aug. 30. This final preseason game served as a final audition for many of the players fighting for their NFL future.
Here are the five players who raised and lowered their stock in the preseason finale against the Titans.
Stock Up: Tyson Bagent
The Bears' backup quarterback came out firing in the preseason finale, connecting with rookie Zavion Thomas for a 97-yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the game for Chicago.
Bagent finished the game 16 of 17 for 208 yards and threw two touchdowns.
Bagent stood confidently in the pocket and delivered accurate passes to his receivers. On the Bears' second touchdown drive, Bagent rolled out left and took off running, finishing the play by lowering his shoulder to run through a Titans defender for a 21-yard gain.
Four plays after Bagent's run, the Bears' quarterback avoided pressure in the pocket, drifted left and threw a touchdown to Maurice Alexander.
Stock Up: Zavion Thomas
The Bears' offense started backed up on their own 3-yard line after a well-executed punt. Bagent stood in the pocket and threw a 97-yard touchdown to Thomas, who ran a double move and outran the entire defense.
That was Thomas' first reception in the preseason.
Thomas did fumble a handoff after going in jet motion, which can't happen.
The rookie did have a 39-yard punt return in the second quarter, showing off his speed in the open field.
Thomas finished with five receptions on five targets for 140 yards and one touchdown.
Stock Up: T.J. Edwards
Edwards was one of the few starters who did play in Saturday's preseason finale. The veteran linebacker didn't take long to fill up the stat sheet.
Edwards finished with five total tackles, four solo.
On the first play from scrimmage, Edwards had perfect coverage on a play action pass in the right flat, limiting the gain to just one yard.
Edwards hasn't had as many reps this training camp, but he looked primed and ready for the regular season after his performance against the Titans' backups.
Stock Up: Terell Smith
There is a battle for one of the final spots in the secondary, and Smith proved why he belongs on the Bears' roster.
The former fifth-round draft pick in 2023 finished the first half with two pass breakups while providing sticky coverage.
Smith helped force a Titans' field goal with 14:19 left in the second quarter with his coverage on third-and-8.
Smith has missed time in training camp because of an injury, but he performed in his last opportunity before cut-down day.
Stock Down: Luke Newman
One thing that will upset any coach, especially Ben Johnson, is penalties. Guard Luke Newman was beat badly on the first holding call, which negated a first down pickup.
The Bears recovered from that play, but Newman committed another holding penalty on the same drive. There wasn't much on that second penalty, but it was called.
Newman had position versatility, with the ability to play both guard spots. If he ends up staying on the roster, he must prove to the staff he can play penalty free.
