The Bears close the preseason Friday night when they visit the Chiefs in Kansas City. Here are four players to watch in the game:
With reserve running backs Roschon Johnson, Kyle Monangai, Travis Homer and Deion Hankins all sidelined by injuries, Brown should get plenty of reps to prove he deserves a spot on the 53-man roster behind starter D'Andre Swift.
Six days after signing with the Bears, Brown took advantage of his opportunities in last Sunday night's 38-0 preseason win over the Bills at Soldier Field, rushing for 73 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries.
Brown was selected by the Raiders in the seventh round of the 2023 draft out of UCLA. He also has spent time with the Seahawks but has yet to appear in an NFL regular season game.
After sitting out the preseason opener against the Dolphins with a leg injury, Amegadjie played 33 snaps at left tackle versus the Bills and is expected to get another chance to impress in Kansas City.
The 2024 third-round pick from Yale remains in contention for the starting left tackle position, and a strong performance Sunday night could boost his chances of winning the job. Amegadjie took third-team reps in Wednesday's practice behind veteran Braxton Jones with the first team and first-year pro Theo Benedet with the second unit.
Entering his third season with the Bears, Hardy remains a core special teams contributor who also hopes to become part of the rotation at defensive end. He moved to end after playing linebacker in his first two seasons with the Bears.
Last year Hardy appeared in all 17 games, playing 31 snaps on defense and 370 on special teams.
"The biggest thing for him, No. 1, is he's been exceptional around here on special teams," said defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. "Everybody has to find what their role is going to be on this football team. Everybody's trying to make the 53-man roster, the 69 players including the practice squad. But really it's about carving out your role or your niche, whatever that may be. It might be as a pass rusher. It might be as a special teams player. It might be as a starter on the team."
When a reporter asked Allen this week about top defensive tackles Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter Sr. and Andrew Billings, the defensive coordinator added one more name.
"I would put Chris Williams in that mix too," Allen said. "He has had a good camp."
Williams will receive another opportunity to cement his role as part of the defensive tackle position Friday night in Kansas City. Last year he played in all 17 games with one start and recorded 23 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
"He has continued to improve," Allen said. "The fundamentals and the technique that we're teaching, I see him improving in those areas. And for a smaller-body player inside, it's even more important, those fundamentals and technique, to be able to execute those at a high level. I've really seen him take to the things that we're teaching in that regard."
