Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
Has coach Matt Nagy said how many series Bears starters will play in the first preseason game?
Bob J.
Hobart, Indiana
Bears coach Matt Nagy revealed Tuesday that starters will generally play one to two series in Saturday afternoon's preseason opener against the Dolphins at Soldier Field. But Nagy also said that he intends to go more by number of plays than series and he plans to play starters 8-10 snaps. So, if there are a couple of three-play series, the starters might come out for a third possession. In addition, the number of snaps could vary for different players, even those playing on the same unit. For example, one starting offensive lineman could see more playing time than another, depending on their respective situations.
I was wondering whether new Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai will coach from the sideline or up in a booth this season.
Paul A.
Illinois
From what I understand, that has yet to be determined at this point. In fact, coach Matt Nagy indicated this week that first-year defensive coordinator Sean Desai might do both—coach from the sideline as well as the booth—during the preseason to see which location he prefers. So that's something that we'll have to wait and see.
When are the roster cutdown dates this year?
Vince D.
There will be three roster reduction deadlines this year, all on successive Tuesdays beginning next week. NFL teams must get down to 85 players on Aug. 17, 80 on Aug. 24 and 53 on Aug. 31. In the past, the final cutdown to 53 has been on a Saturday. This year it's four days earlier than usual, in part because every team has what amounts to a bye week the final week of the preseason with no games scheduled.
Chalk Talk features fan questions multiple times each week. Email your question to Larry.
