CHICAGO – Report cards will be a fixture of our Bears postgame coverage here at Marquee. They provide a quick evaluation of each phase of the game right after a given result. It doesn’t make much sense to do so in the preseason, to evaluate the run defense or passing offense with so many players and significant snaps given to those who won’t be on the roster in a month.

We’re therefore tweaking the concept a bit to focus on a player integral to certain phases of the game and how they might fit into the bigger picture. The As, Bs and Cs (maybe an F or two) will get handed out come September, but not quite yet.

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Let’s highlight some important players from the Bears’ preseason opener, a 24-24 tie with the Miami Dolphins at Soldier Field.

Passing offense: WR Luther Burden

The second-round rookie didn’t lead the Bears in receptions or receiving yards. He didn’t have the finest catch of the day, or even the second-best. He was impactful during his four series in this game, with two catches for 29 yards.

The second showed great separation ability and awareness. Burden got open quickly while running a drag route, caught the ball in stride and then sprinted for the sideline. Burden had to get out of bounds before the clock ran out and got there with one second left.

The heads up play set up a 57-yard field goal from Cairo Santos – more on him in a bit – that never would’ve happened without Burden.

Rushing offense: RB Kyle Monangai

The Bears held feature back D’Andre Swift out of this preseason game, and Roschon Johnson’s banged up, so the seventh-round pick was the first running back up on Sunday. He carried the ball six times for 30 yards, a strong 5.0 yards per carry average.

More than the stats, Monangai looks like a tough runner whose skill set plays at the NFL level. He moves well in heavy traffic and fights for extra yards. He might not play with true breakaway speed, but performances like Sunday will earn regular-season carries down the line.

Passing defense: DE Austin Booker

The second-year pro out of Kansas was excellent in this contest, with six tackles, three sacks and four total quarterback hits.

His best play was a strip sack inside Miami’s 10-yard line that the Bears recovered. Booker’s tackling form was excellent on that play, with him yanking quarterback Quinn Ewers’ forearm down to set the ball free.

Booker was also a solid run defender, with a big stop on third-and-goal in the first quarter. We’re focusing on pass defense here, and his pressure generation was a major factor in that phase of the game.

Rushing defense: LB Noah Sewell

The third-year pro seems like the current favorite to start at strongside linebacker due to a strong training camp in that position. He’s also a reserve in the middle and started there with Tremaine Edmunds not playing.

He was rock solid in that role, with six total tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Sewell stripped the ball on a Malik Washington run, but the ball went out of bounds.

The Oregon product was at his best in a goal-to-go situation. He helped stuff Jaylen Wright on second down and then blew up a fourth-and-goal rushing attempt, dropping Wright for a three-yard loss.

Having Sewell as injury protection on the interior will help. And while the strongside linebacker doesn’t play tons of snaps in Dennis Allen’s defense, having a reliable player there will help the base package even when slot cornerback Kyler Gordon leaves the field.

Special teams: K Cairo Santos

The veteran Bears kicker has been accurate as heck this training camp from all distances. He has been good from beyond 50 yards, making 8-of-9 from 50-plus last year. The Bears let him try one from 57 yards out at the end of the first half, and he struck the kick straight and true. The ball sailed through the uprights – it would’ve been good from 60 – for what would’ve been a career high had this been the regular season.

He hit from 58 in a previous preseason, but the kick overall showed fans what those at camp have seen all summer: Santos is locked in.

Coaching: Ben Johnson

Sunday marked the first time Johnson was head coach of an NFL game, and he talked about the importance of the preseason in getting staff communication set up and letting him manage a game.

Johnson didn’t have to challenge anything or call a controversial timeout, so it was a smooth entry into his new responsibilities as a game manager.

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