NAGY GIVES STARTERS A NIGHT OFF
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Bears coach Matt Nagy took his disregard for the preseason to a new level Friday night by sitting 25 players against the Giants.
That included starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who might be done with preseason games after taking just three snaps in the opener last week.
Linebacker Khalil Mack has yet to appear in a preseason game for the Bears, and that debut may never come. He and the entire starting defense didn’t dress Friday.
Nagy held out most of his offense against the Panthers last week, playing Trubisky and most of the starting offensive line, but benched them all Friday.
The Giants, on the other hand, played quarterback Eli Manning and most of their regular starters. Manning opened the game with a long touchdown drive while facing mostly second-stringers.
The Bears have two preseason games remaining: next week at the Colts and Aug. 29 at home against the Titans.
Not all of the Bears’ absences were simple scratches. Backup tackle Rashaad Coward exited in the third quarter with an injury to his left elbow. Tight ends Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen have been working through injuries lately, and Nagy has already said his priority with Burton is having him ready for the start of the regular season. Defensive end Aaron Lynch has been out since early in training camp.
The Bears also did not have right guard Kyle Long available. He was unlikely to play either way, but Nagy barred him from traveling with the team after a wild fight with rookie defensive end Jalen Dalton on Wednesday. Dalton made the trip.