Bear Digest

Tennessee Titans Who Can Cause Bears the Most Problems

The Bears' opponents Sunday have rebuilt under their first-year coach but have been able to asemble a roster with some standout players capable of causing issues on both sides of the ball.

Gene Chamberlain

Khalil Herbert breaks free and stiff-arms to find extra yardage against the titans in preseason play.
Khalil Herbert breaks free and stiff-arms to find extra yardage against the titans in preseason play. / David Banks-Imagn Images
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Bears coach Matt Eberflus realizes there are 16 games after the season opener.

It's no surprise he is stressing the importance of this first game, however.

"I think it's always important," Eberflus said. "Just look at the numbers—look at who makes it to the postseason, they start fast. And I showed that to the guys in the spring.

"They're (playoff teams) at least 2-2, most are 3-1 and a couple were 4-0, in the NFC. So we did talk about that. The guys understand how important it is to start fast."

To get it done they'll need to beat a team totally remade over the offseason under new coach Brian Callahan after a 6-11 season that got Mike Vrabel fired.

Bears safety Jaquan Brisker noted how a slow start last year left the Bears in a hole they couldn't escape.

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"That team on paper should have went 12-5," Brisker said of the 2023 Bears.

Eberflus believes the faster start is possible with this year's group.

“I like their mindset, I like their mentally, where it is,” said Eberflus. “We started the spring in shadow-boxing mode and then we moved into training camp, into the sparring mode, and now we’re into the bout, now we gotta fight.”

The team they'll battle has several difficult players to match up against even in the middle of a rebuild.

The Titans made improvements on both sides of the field personnel-wise, but their offense is more recognizable and the defense might need more moves to add talent conducive to their new 3-4 base.

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"Just we're focused on us, honestly," Eberflus said. "What we do, how we do it, and doing it really well, that’s what we're focused on. We know the people we're playing against.

"Obviously a really good receiving corps. They've got three dynamic receivers that are good and all accomplished. The runners have experience, both are accomplished. They've got the line, they've got some new pieces on the line but are really skilled on the one side (offense) for sure. And they’ve got a new center."

Here are the major issues the Bears face in personnel against Tennessee.

WR Calvin Ridley

The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder came back from a year away due to a gambling suspension and posted eight TDs with 76 receptions for 1,016 yards. The big-play threat in their offense.

WR DeAndre Hopkins

Now in his 12th season, Hopkins had 1,057 yards last year and seven TDs with 76 catches for the Titans in his first Tennessee season. The 6-1, 212-pounder is sort of the Keenan Allen type receiver for the Titans, as a 32-year-old standout who is still effective. Hopkins appears over a training camp knee injury and Callahan was talking about him Wednesday as if he'd be playing Sunday, but he is still limited in practice. The Titans mirrored the Bears in a way by bringing in Tyler Boyd, as well. Now they have a big three in the receiver room and it's not going to be easy to handle this.

QB Will Levis

A 6-foot-4, 229-pounder, strong runner and passer but he has only nine starts so he could be susceptible to all the disguises the Bears like using on defense. In theory, it shouldn't be as easy for him to scramble against them, either, because of their reliance on zone coverages where they are facing the running QB.

DT Jeffrey Simmons

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive tackle made a bunch of threats in the offseason on the podcast circuit about what he'll do to Caleb Williams in the opener. Simmons is a two-time Pro Bowl and two-time All-Pro second team who can rush from the interior and has 26 1/2 sacks to go with three forced fumbles.

CB La'Jarius Sneed

The former Chiefs cornerback ranked among the best cornerbacks in the league last year. He had a 56.2 passer rating against when targeted and at 6-1, 192, has made 10 career interceptions He was dealt by KC along with a seventh-rounder to Tennessee for a 2025 third-round pick and a seventh-rounder.

Edge Harold Landry III

A 6-2, 252-pound edge who came off an ACL tear the previous season and had 10 1/2 sacks following a 12-sack 2021 season.

CB Roger McCreary

The Titans nickel back is well equipped to defend over the middle against Keenan Allen or the Bears tight ends. He put up an outstanding 85.3 passer rating against last season at nickel and made two interceptions with a forced fumble.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.