​NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The day before the Chicago Bears must reduce the roster to 53 players, they used exactly 53 to close out preseason with a 24-15 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday at Nissan Stadium.Rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas had a 97-yard touchdown on the first offensive play from scrimmage when he juked Titans cornerback Keydrain Calligan with a stutter-and-go and then showcased the blazing speed that might make him the fastest player the Bears have had in some time.Thomas totaled 140 yards on five catches and had a 39-yard punt return, and backup quarterback Tyson Bagent was supersharp after missing a week of practice, completing 16 of 17 passes for 208 yards and two scores.And just like that, with most of the team’s frontline players wearing ballcaps instead of helmets, it’s on to the regular season after the Bears reduce the roster to 53 by 5 p.m. Sunday.10 thoughts following the preseason finale.Want the latest Bears news? Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune to read it all — and sign up for our Bears Insider newsletter.1. Retired football players who were accustomed to two-a-days pretty much daily and spending close to a month away at training camp will chuckle if you tell them the Bears went through a demanding training camp and preseason.For the way the league is modeled today and the rules in place with the collective bargaining agreement, Ben Johnson made sure this camp checked every box. Those 40 up-downs that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen makes his players do at the start of camp are a breeze, especially in comparison to what the team went through the last two weeks.Johnson’s plan to take the team on the road for consecutive weeks of joint practices in Cincinnati and then here created organic situations for players to bond, whether it be in the hotel or out at dinner. Long, hot and muggy practices with the Bengals and Titans required players to dial in, and between the two trips, there was a long, physical practice at Halas Hall with a long drive period.If it’s blazing hot when the Bears begin the season Sept. 13 at Carolina — and it could very well be in the southern city — the last two weeks have positioned the Bears to handle it. In January, Johnson talked about going back to square one and starting over. To him, there was no carryover from an 11-6 season and NFC North title. He designed the offseason program and then the summer to reflect that.“Listen, all I care about is: Does it help us win or not?” Johnson said before Thursday’s practice. “That’s really what I’m all about.“Talking about last year isn’t going to do us any good in terms of winning this practice, winning the next preseason game, winning Week 1. That’s really all we care about right now.”For all the hand-wringing that has taken place about the team’s health over the last five weeks, the Bears are in a decent spot. They’ve lost one primary player — safety Coby Bryant — for a big chunk of the season,