Bears’ Roschon Johnson knows best will come after preseason debut

CHICAGO -- Roschon Johnson admits he is still getting his feet settled in the NFL.

The rookie running back has been in and out of practice during the early part of training camp, so his performance during the Bears' 23-17 win over the Tennessee Titans in their preseason opener at Soldier Field isn't indicative of his ability.

"I think it's just a matter of me getting more and more reps," Johnson told NBC Sports Chicago after the game Saturday. "The more and more comfortable I get, the more my head is not spinning, the more I can go out there and just execute. As time goes on, I can feel myself getting more comfortable."

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On Saturday, Johnson had 12 carries for 44 yards and three catches for 2 yards. He ran with physicality but also felt he missed some open cutback lanes.

"It's going to keep getting better and better." Johnson said.

On Monday, Johnson got some work with the first-team offense in red zone drills, with Trestan Ebner missing practice.

"Just the running style. He’s a downhill guy that we’re excited about," head coach Matt Eberflus said of Johnson working with the ones. "He’s got good vision. And since he’s gotten in there, we really love the style. We’re just gonna keep letting that thing compete out where it belongs, and we’ll see where it goes."

Here's how other members of the draft class fared in their preseason debut.

Darnell Wright

The Bears' first-round pick has had an up-and-down camp since the pads came on. On Saturday, he played just seven snaps and performed well in the run game and on the three short passes (two screens) the Bears drew up.

"Wright executed well when he was in there," Eberflus said Monday after reviewing the film.

Gervon Dexter

Dexter played 35 snaps Saturday. He recorded one solo tackle and assisted on another tackle. His get-off was slow and he got pushed around in the run game.

The Florida product didn't make any big plays, but the Bears still liked what they saw from him.

"Gervon’s been doing great, man, he’s been improving in every aspect of his game," veteran defensive tackle Andrew Billings said Monday. "I mean, did he make plays? Yeah. Did he make tackles? Maybe not as many as you would like to. You now, it’s preseason. What we wanted for them is to feel that NFL game speed. That was the big thing and just go out there and be confident. We don’t really care if he was in his gap, all we really care about is him getting knocked back. That was the most important thing for these rookies. Getting knocked back."

Fellow defensive tackle Justin Jones agrees.

"What I learned is the venue isn't too big," Jones told NBC Sports Chicago after the game.

Dexter's growth will take time. The Bears believe he can be effectice in a role this fall while building toward becoming a dominant three-technique. Dexter has been picking edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue's brain since the veteran arrived, and those lessons will continue all year.

"I see a lot of potential in him," Ngakoue said. "I see a lot of myself in him."

Tyrique Stevenson

Stevenson had an impressive preseason debut.

The rookie cornerback gave up a 30-yard completion on the opening snap, but bounced back to have a tremendous game. Stevenson made several impressive tackles, nearly had an interception, and shpwed great instincts when blowing up a wide-receiver screen.

"Nothing fazes him," second-year cornerback Kyler Gordon said. "He showed the same thing during training camp the whole entire time. He goes out there, and he already knows what it is. He’s going to go out there, process it. He knows it’s just the first game. He’s going to get back on track like he always does. He’s smooth and I don’t have any worries. I don’t think anyone has any worries about him, so he’s going to do his thing."

Stevenson has spent a large portion of training camp going up against star wide receier DJ Moore. Those reps have invaluable for both he and fellow rookie cornerback Terell Smith.

"That’s how he’s wired," Eberflus said of watching Stevenson face Moore. "He’s wired that way and he’s a really good competitor, which I love. We knew he was going to be a good tackler and a physical corner because you could see that on tape in the evaluation. He’s just going to continue to grow. This is going to be a big week for him because he’s going to be able to guard different guys and compete against those guys, and I think he’ll be able to see how he can adjust his skillset to fit the player he’s guarding. So it’s going to be fun."

Zacch Pickens

Pickens flashed immediately against the Titans.

Early in the first half, Pickens and Dominique Robinson were supposed to run a stunt. The timing got a little messed up, but Pickens forced his way past the tackle and guard to sack Titans backup quarterback Will Levis.

On the day, Pickens had one sack, one hurry, four tackles, and a fumble recovery.

“I think he is focusing on the first task at hand, and that is get-off (speed)," Eberflus said Saturday. "I think he is doing that, and that’s when he is at his best. When he beats him to the punch and gets off on the football and starts his day on the other side of the line of scrimmage, good things happen. Then they are off balance and he can use his hands and his long arms, so he is learning to do that and you saw that today in that sack he had.”

Tyler Scott

It was a quiet preseason debut for Scott.

The speedy Cincinnati wide receiver caught one pass (two targets) for 9 yards. Scott also had the ball punched out after making that 9-yard reception.

Expect him to get more run in the final two preseason games as long as he's healthy. (Scott left Monday's practice early.)

Noah Sewell

Sewell was impressive in 36 snaps Saturday.

The SAM linebacker had four tackles (three solo), one sack, and one quarterback hurry.

Sewell has been impressive in camp, showing great instincts and physicallity. The Oregon product has made big strides over the past few months and is pushing Jack Sanborn for the starting SAM spot.

"He’s very strong, right? He’s very instinctive," Eberflus said of Sewell. "He’s got good ball skills. And he’s very instinctive. I just like the way ghe knows where the ball is. He can key read fast and I think it’s a good competition."