Chicago Bears Stock Exchange: Who's up, who's down after Week 1?

The Chicago Bears are 1-0 to start the 2024 NFL season, getting a hard-fought victory against the Tennessee Titans, where they came back down 17 to score 24 unanswered points and steal a win at home. It was a gritty affair, with the defense and special teams carrying the load, while the offense was unable to do much of anything throughout the day.

Quite a few players stood out both positively and negatively on Sunday for their performances. The defense and special teams had plenty of stars, while the offense had too many underperformers. Here are the players we're evaluating in the first Chicago Bears Stock Exchange piece of the season.

Stock up: DE Darrell Taylor

It's only one game, but defensive end Darrell Taylor is looking like quite the steal for the Bears. A couple weeks ago, Taylor was acquired from the Seattle Seahawks via trade in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick. He fell out of favor with the new coaching staff in Seattle, and seeing a need on the roster, general manager Ryan Poles made sure to strike quickly. His move is already paying off.

Taylor had one of the best games of his career, totaling eight tackles, two for loss, two sacks, two QB hits, and a forced fumble. He easily overtook the starting spot opposite Montez Sweat and wreaked havoc on the left side of the Titans offensive line with his quick twitch to get around the blocks. It's hard to expect that type of production consistently, but Taylor could prove to be quite the steal for the Bears. He's off to a fantastic start.

Stock down: QB Caleb Williams

Don't worry, the sky isn't falling and the theoretical stock market hasn't crashed. Still, Williams had a rough debut, and given all the hype going into Week 1, it's only right that his stock dips. The No. 1 overall pick completed just 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards and a quarterback rating of 55.7. He was antsy in the pocket, rushed some throws, and had accuracy issues at times.

Williams knows he needs to perform better, and there's no question he will. But this performance goes to show how hard it is for rookie quarterbacks to get off on the right foot. The good news for Williams is that his team still got the win, and he didn't cost them the game with reckless turnovers. His day also would have been better had his teammates not made crucial errors.

It's a long road for the former Heisman Trophy winner, and he will improve. For now, though, his stock isn't quite as high as it was last week.

Stock up: WR DeAndre Carter

The Bears' biggest weapon wasn't D'Andre Swift, DJ Moore, or Keenan Allen. It was wide receiver DeAndre Carter and his superb return abilities on special teams. Carter was the catalyst for the Bears' first scoring drive after he returned a kickoff 67 yards to put Chicago in field goal range.

Carter also added 64 yards on five punt returns (12.5 average), which gave the Bears decent field position. His 131 yards of returns were just 17 shy of matching the Bears' total offensive output (148). He wasn't Devin Hester out there, but Carter was consistent, and that's all he needed to be on special teams. Especially considering the next player and his critical error.

Stock down: RB Velus Jones Jr.

Just when you think Velus Jones' stock was coming back up, he finds a way to put it in the dirt. Jones was up to his old tricks on Sunday when he muffed a kickoff return and promptly kicked the ball right back to the Titans, who recovered it with ease. It was just the latest gaffe in his career that has fans wondering what exactly Jones can provide for this football team.

Though he has tremendous speed and size, Jones can't seem to get out of his own way. He'll drop passes when playing wide receiver, sometimes fumble the ball as a ball carrier, and can't consistently field a return properly. The Bears still believe in him and fought to keep him on the roster, but he's unplayable for the foreseeable future. Jones had two carries for 11 yards and caught one pass for eight yards in addition to his special teams miscue.

Stock up: RT Darnell Wright

If you watched Sunday's game, you know the offensive line was a weak point and contributed to a number of issues for both run plays and pass plays. But at least one player had himself quite the day, and that was Darnell Wright. The second-year tackle graded out as one of the best players on the team, according to PFF, scoring 72.7. He didn't allow a sack nor a pressure when in pass protection, showing how valuable he is and what he's capable of doing.

Wright gets a tough task going against Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson of the Houston Texans next weekend, but a game like the one he had on Sunday shows he's up to the challenge. The investment Poles made in Wright last April continues to look better and better as the weeks go on.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears Stock Exchange: Who's up, who's down after Week 1?-darrell-taylort