Chicago Bears Stock Exchange: Who's up, who's down entering Week 6?

It took five weeks, but the Chicago Bears are finally starting to show what all of the offseason hype was about after their latest victory. The Bears pounded the Carolina Panthers last week, winning 36-10 with a complete game from all three phases. Chicago (3-2) seems to be hitting their stride offensively, as Caleb Williams had his best outing of his young career while the Bears offense scored a season-high 36 points.

Defensively, the Bears didn't miss a beat. They took the ball away three times from the Panthers and limited them to just 10 points during the afternoon. Aside from one touchdown drive, they played lights out.

Sunday's game also saw quite a few players step up in key moments. Here is our weekly stock watch for who's up and who's down entering Week 6 when the Bears take on the Jaguars:

Stock up: QB Caleb Williams

Williams just keeps getting better and better. The eye test shows it, the stats show it, and the wins show it. The rookie quarterback is coming off the best game of his young career, completing 20 of 29 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. His 126.2 quarterback rating was the best of his career as well, and it was the third straight week that his passer rating increased by at least 20 points.

Again, stats are one thing, but Williams just looks more comfortable as an NFL quarterback. He's making calls at the line of scrimmage with authority, checking into the right plays based on the coverage shown by the defense. His pocket presence continues to get better; he isn't rushing his throws like he was in early September, and he's feeling more confident when it comes to pushing the ball downfield. I'm hesitant to say that he's "arrived" in just Week 6, but Williams is close.

Stock down: G Nate Davis

Nate Davis has been benched from the starting lineup and benched from the backups as well. The former starting right guard lost his job in Week 3 and figured to be the top player off the bench. That's what was happening the following week when Teven Jenkins went down with an injury and Davis came back into the lineup. Not in Week 5, though.

The Bears lost Jenkins once again and needed to make line adjustments. Instead of bringing in Davis and shifting Matt Pryor from right to left guard, the Bears decided to keep Pryor at his spot and bring in Bill Murray to the left side. This was a clear indication that Davis had plummeted down the depth chart and may only be used in emergencies.

It's been a tumultuous tenure for Davis ever since he signed a three-year, $30 million deal in 2023. His issues with practicing and effort apparently hit a boiling point, and now the Bears seem content with letting him collect his $11.3 million on the bench.

Stock up: WR DJ Moore

It was a tough start to the season, but the Bears top receiving option finally came to life in Week 5, and it was fitting that it came against his former team.

Moore reeled in five catches for 105 yards and two scores against the Panthers, showing the team that drafted him what they were missing. After a few weeks of primarily contributing on short passes, Moore did his damage with the deep ball. His 13.1 receiving yards per target was up drastically from 3.7 the week before, and he got the job done by gaining yards after the catch, as well as coming down with the ball in the end zone.

It was an interesting week for Moore heading into the game, who had fans believing he was unhappy with his role in the offense and possibly not getting along with Williams. Those narratives can be thrown into Lake Michigan after he was all smiles during and after Sunday's win.

Stock down: RB Khalil Herbert

The Bears offense has been humming the last couple of weeks, especially their ground game. Unfortunately, Khalil Herbert has had no part in that whatsoever. Herbert hasn't played a down on offense since Week 3 and has just three special teams snaps during that time as well. He was been phased out of the offense, with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron opting to use D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson at running back.

Herbert can still make game-breaking runs, but his struggles as a pass blocker limit how he can be used on offense. He hasn't seen this little playing time since the start of his rookie year back in 2021. His diminished role may not be permanent, and he's keeping a positive attitude, which is important. Still, it's hard to see him supplanting Johnson to spell Swift when both players have been so effective in their roles recently.

Stock up: DT Gervon Dexter

Gervon Dexter's breakout season is coming to fruition. The second-year defensive tackle continues to make a name for himself, and he's wreaking havoc on opposing offensive lines. That was evident on Sunday against the Panthers when he notched two tackles, a sack, and four QB hits on Andy Dalton. He also had a fumble recovery to get a turnover for the offense.

Dexter has only played five games, but he's blowing past his stats from his rookie year. He's six tackles shy of matching last year's total; he already has 2.5 more sacks than he had all last year, and he's notched three tackles for loss when he had none in 2023. Even when he's not showing up in the box score, Dexter is making an impact on the defensive line and is developing the right way in this defense under Matt Eberflus and Eric Washington. He's on his way to a Pro Bowl season if he keeps this up.

Stock up: S Kevin Byard III

I'll be the first to admit that I didn't love the Kevin Byard signing back in early spring. The veteran safety was a star in the late 2010s but looked like he lost a step in 2023 while bouncing between the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles. I may have been wrong because he's locking down the back end of that defense with Jaquan Brisker.

Byard had one of the better interceptions you'll see when he tracked a deep ball by Dalton perfectly and made a full extension for the grab. He also had six total tackles, one for loss, and a pass breakup. Byard has found the Fountain of Youth, allowing an opposing passer rating of just 70.7, his best since his All-Pro season in 2021. It's clear he's a sizeable upgrade over what Eddie Jackson was providing the last few years of his career, and he's a true asset to the defense.

Now he'll need to step up his game against the Jaguars, as the Bears will be without Brisker. Fortunately, Byard has plenty of experience against Jacksonville and has two defensive touchdowns against them.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears Stock Exchange: Who's up, who's down entering Week 6?