CHICAGO – It’s the first of 20 times that the Bears are guaranteed to take the field as a team during the 2023 season.

It won’t count in the standings, but it will help the coaching staff answer a few questions about the team they’ll put on the field when the games do start to count on September 10.

The first preseason game against the Titans Saturday will be the chance for Matt Eberflus and his staff to get a glimpse of the starters with a deeper look at others on the roster that could help to fill out the depth chart.

Evaluating the roster continues with the Noon kickoff and will continue through two more exhibition contests before the game against the Packers in about a month.

Yet Eberflus and his staff have already had a few weeks to get to know some of these players through training camp workouts at Halas Hall. He along with other assistants have been familiarizing themselves with a number of new players while also getting them accustomed to the way the Bears do things on the field.

If all goes to plan, the team will take a major step forward in the Eberflus/Ryan Poles era, one that started with a teardown in 2022 and an NFL-worst 3-14 record.

Usayd Koshul of Bear Report has been following the team during training camp at Halas Hall over the past few weeks ahead of Saturday’s preseason opener against the Titans. He joined “9 Good Minutes” on Saturday to discuss what he’s seen out of the team, what he’s looking for in the preseason opener, and more on the 2023 Bears.

You can watch his conversation with Larry Hawley of WGN News Now in the video above.