Bears' rookies look solid in preseason debut, led by TE Colston Loveland, WR Luther Burden III

The Bears got their first real look at their rookie class — most of it, anyway — in the preseason opener Sunday against the Dolphins, and it was promising.

The rookies played against the Dolphins’ backups for most of the game, which ended in a 24-24 tie, so there’s only so much that can be extracted from that. Sure, left tackle Ozzy Trapilo can manage the Dolphins’ second- and third-stringers, but how would he do against Pro Bowl pass rushers such as the Vikings’ Jonathan Greenard and the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson in the first two weeks of the season?

Nonetheless, it was a good sign for the Bears that their rookies didn’t look overwhelmed or out of place. Tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Luther Burden III, running back Kyle Monangai, linebacker Ruben Hyppolite and offensive lineman Luke Newman started, and Trapilo stepped in for Braxton Jones shortly before halftime.

When third-string quarterback Case Keenum entered the game, he was relieved to see Trapilo. As someone who has taken a lot of preseason snaps in his career, Keenum knows as well as anyone how dicey the offensive line can be at the end.

‘‘But having Ozzy, I looked to the left side, and it gave me a good sense,’’ he said.

While Trapilo pushes for a starting job, all eyes are on the Bears’ top two picks — Loveland (10th overall) and Burden (39th). The team already had veterans at both spots in tight end Cole Kmet and No. 1 receiver DJ Moore, but coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles targeted those positions for additions.

There typically is a prolonged acclimation period for rookie tight ends, so Kmet figures to be more of a factor in the passing game this season. But Johnson is eager for Loveland to catch up, so he can use them in tandem.

Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent went to Loveland as a safety valve on third-and-16 on the Bears’ first drive. Loveland released from his block and caught the ball just behind the line of scrimmage, then charged ahead for eight yards on his only reception.

‘‘You can always get more into [the playbook] and play faster by knowing defenses, but I feel pretty good about where I’m at,’’ Loveland said. ‘‘I’ve got a long way to go, though. It’s early.’’

Still, he thought he would grade out with no missed assignments after his preseason debut.

Loveland was one of only three first-stringers to play, along with Jones and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.

On Johnson’s depth chart, he lists two starting wide receivers instead of the usual three, allowing for two starting tight ends. As the Lions’ offensive coordinator, he played two tight ends 35% of the time, the third-most in the NFL.

Loveland appears to have made up for the offseason practices he missed and gotten himself up to speed. It has been a little tougher for Burden, who not only was out for offseason practices but also for the start of training camp last month.

There were a couple of moments in which he seemed unsure about where to line up, but he caught 16- and 13-yard passes from Bagent in the first half, and his speed stood out. He beat the Dolphins’ coverage on a third-down play early, but Bagent’s pass was behind him and got broken up.

Burden’s 13-yard catch was his most impressive play of the day. He got the Bears in kicking range and zipped out of bounds with one second left in the first half to leave time for Cairo Santos’ 57-yard field goal.

Burden appeared to make a mistake midway through the second quarter that led to tight end Durham Smythe being flagged for an illegal formation.

‘‘He’s working his tail off behind the scenes,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘He’s doing some extra stuff that maybe most don’t appreciate right now. Because of that, we’re starting to see the details tighten up on the field.

‘‘It’s not where it needs to be yet; it frankly isn’t. But I love the way he’s going. I love how hard he’s working. Everything we thought about him in terms of the weapon he is with the ball in his hands, that’s shown up from Day 1.’’

Monangai ran six times for 30 yards with a long of 13 and worked at kick returner.

Johnson pulled Jones in favor of Trapilo with 1:40 left in the second quarter as the Bears hustled through their two-minute offense. Their first try ended with Bagent throwing an interception, but they got another shot at it in the final seconds and set up Santos’ long field goal.

The battle for left tackle is down to Trapilo and Jones as Kiran Amegadjie recovers from a leg injury. Those were the favorites to begin with, and whoever doesn’t win the starting job likely will be the swing tackle.

Hyppolite is a third-stringer on the depth chart but started alongside veterans Amen Ogbongbemiga and Noah Sewell. The Bears aren’t likely to play three linebackers often, but Hyppolite is in the mix for the strong-side spot.

Late in the game, three undrafted rookies made good impressions to stick around. Wide receiver Jahdae Walker led the team with 41 yards on three catches, linebacker Power Echols recovered a fumble at the Dolphins’ 3-yard line and running back Deion Hankins caught a touchdown pass from Keenum.

The Bears’ other second-round pick, defensive lineman Shemar Turner, has been out since hurting his ankle in the first practice July 23. Cornerback Zah Frazier, a fifth-round pick, has been absent throughout because of a personal issue. Newman likely will miss time, as well, after entering the concussion protocol during the game.

Next week should reveal the rookies’ readiness if Johnson opts to play his starters against the Bills. If quarterback Caleb Williams is out there, for example, Johnson probably won’t waste those snaps and risk injury by surrounding him with unreliable players. They’ll have to earn the right to play with the starters.