Saturday night's preseason finale against the Titans in Tennessee provides the final chance for players to impress before the regular season kicks off in two weeks. Here are six Bears to watch:

Offense

The third-round pick from Stanford celebrated his return to Tennessee — where he played high school football — by making a pair of impact plays in Thursday's joint practice with the Titans. The 6-5, 267-pounder caught a jump ball downfield over two defenders and snared a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone. Roush will attempt to transfer that play-making ability from practice to Saturday night's game and prove that he's ready to contribute as the third tight end behind Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet. It's a crucial role on a Bears offense that frequently employed three tight end sets last season. Roush is still learning the system, a difficult task for tight ends that coach Ben Johnson labeled Thursday as being "right up there with quarterback just in terms of the amount of mental strain we put on these guys."

With veteran Garrett Bradbury presumably the opening day starting center, Saturday night's preseason finale could present Jones with his most expanded playing time for quite some time. The second-round pick from Iowa has impressed during training camp and the preseason while anchoring the second-team offensive line. It will be a challenge against a Titans defense that Johnson described as an "attacking front" that wants to "meet us on our side of the line of scrimmage and knock us back." Johnson said in April that throughout the draft process the Bears were "really smitten" with Jones, a unanimous All-American selection and two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree who last year won the Rimington Trophy as the best center in college football.

The first-year pro from Florida International has impressed in training camp for a second straight summer, routinely making plays down the field. In Thursday's joint practice, Alexander took reps with the first- and second-team offenses, catching passes from quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent. Also a return specialist, Alexander spent most of last season on the Bears practice squad. The only four NFL regular-season games he's played came in 2022 with the Lions when Johnson was Detroit's offensive coordinator. Earning a spot on the Bears' 53-man roster may be an uphill battle at a deep receiver position, but Alexander will try to make the most of his opportunities on offense and special teams in the preseason finale.

Defense

The rookie sixth-round pick from Georgia Tech has stood out during training camp and the preseason, displaying his sideline-to-sideline quickness and non-stop motor. Last Saturday night in Cincinnati he showed those traits when he raced from the middle of the field to the sideline to drag down running back Gary Brightwell on one play and chase quarterback Sean Clifford out of bounds on another. Van den Berg is still learning the game; he grew up in South Africa playing rugby and cricket. He moved to the United States when he was 10 and initially played basketball and baseball before starting to play football as a high school sophomore. Johnson described Van den Berg as "a beast," adding: "He's an incredible athlete, and he's still learning the game of football to a degree, and yet it's amazing what he brings to the table. He's been the same guy every single day, smile on his face. He loves football. He loves the process."

Back for his second stint with the Bears, the Lake Zurich High School product is a core special teams contributor who could also earn defensive reps in the regular season. Sanborn was often around the ball in Thursday's joint practice and hopes to repeat that performance in Saturday night's game. He is a strong tackler whose presence should benefit a Bears defense that is looking to improve against the run from last year. He joins T.J. Edwards, Devin Bush and D'Marco Jackson to form a deep position group.

Last season Hardy led the Bears with 19 special teams tackles, playing 78% of the club's special teams snaps. Though he was on the field for just 54 defensive plays last year, he could enter the season as part of the defensive line rotation if he flashes Saturday night against the Titans. The Bears are seeking more pass rush protection to supplement what they have received from end Montez Sweat, who has reached double digits in sacks two of the past three seasons.