1. RB Rochon Johnson
The Bears drafted Rochon Johnson in the fourth round. He’s valuable as an all-around football player, whether at running back or on special teams. But Monday’s win over Minnesota was the first time Johnson saw the majority of the work at running back.
His offensive snap rate on the field reached a season-high 74%. He finished with 10 rushes and five receptions on offense. Veteran Khalil Herbert played just 21 percent of his snaps, carrying the ball six times and catching two passes.
If the Bears stay healthy after the bye week, Johnson, Herbert and Donta Foreman are all available to play. Foreman is most productive when healthy. Bears fans looking forward should hope to see Johnson continue to play a larger role in the offense. Johnson doesn’t need to be the lead back long-term, but the Bears need to know how much he can handle.
2.Defensive tackle Jevon Dexter
Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has seven quarterback hits, four of which have come in the past two games. The No. 53 pick had his best season in the second half of the season.
“Dexter” has always been a work in progress. At Florida, his defensive system was very different from Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 system. Moreover, he is only 22 years old. The Bears drafted him with long-term considerations in mind.
Dexter spent almost half of his defensive minutes against Carolina and Detroit. Expect him to continue finding opportunities, even if he’s still behind starters Justin Jones and Andrew Billings on the depth chart.
3. CB Terrell Smith
Rookie fifth-round pick Terrell Smith missed a month with mononucleosis. He returned in a limited role against Detroit last week, splitting some reps with second-round pick Tyrik Stevenson. Stevenson missed the game against Minnesota with an ankle injury, paving the way for Smith to step into the starting lineup.
Smith played 95 percent of the defensive snaps against Minnesota. The Vikings pursued him several times. Smith had a solid performance, totaling eight solo tackles.
Smith will likely still spend time with Stevenson for the rest of the season, even if he’s not on the bench behind Stevenson. But they’ll all be valuable to him, especially if the Bears can’t find a way to sign Jaylen Johnson to a new contract this offseason.
4. CB Tyrik Stevenson
Tyrik Stevenson remains a player to watch. The Bears selected him with the 56th overall pick, and he had to earn the starting job with Smith right behind him. He impressed coaches with his tough style of football.
Through his first 12 games, Stevenson has had good moments and bad moments. This is to be expected from any rookie corner. This is a difficult position to play. Opponents love to pick inexperienced rookies.
Stevenson threw his first interception against Detroit and forced a fumble on special teams in that game. Ideally, the rookies will be at their best by the end of the season. This seems to be the trajectory Stevenson is on. Hopefully he can recover from the ankle injury that sidelined him last week.
5. WR Tyler Scott
On the other hand, rookie receiver Tyler Scott didn’t play his best football later in the year. He fumbled a fumble and hit a key deep ball in a loss to Detroit, then his playing time plummeted against Minnesota. Scott played just 12 snaps (17%) on offense.
Even so, he will still see opportunities over the next five games. He is an intelligent football player with a high understanding of the game and seems to be in the right position. He just needs to catch the football. The Bears will need a positive performance from Scott over the next few drives. They can’t afford for another young receiver to lose confidence, as was the case with Virus Jones Jr.