The Chicago Bears set their initial 53-man roster Tuesday afternoon, making a wave of cuts and remaining open-minded to continuing to mold the team in the days and weeks ahead.
The roster undoubtedly will undergo a series of changes before the season opener Sept. 11 against the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field. The Bears have until 11 a.m. Wednesday to make waiver claims on players released by the other 31 teams. At that point, they also will begin to assemble their 16-player practice squad.
In the meantime, here’s a position-by-position breakdown of how the roster came together Tuesday.
(*-rookie)
Quarterbacks (2)
Justin Fields, Trevor Siemian
Waiving QB3 Nathan Peterman was an obvious move, but the Bears figure to bring him back on the practice squad Wednesday, giving Fields another veteran set of eyes and ears in the quarterbacks room. The Bears are riding the momentum Fields generated in Saturday’s three-touchdown outburst in the preseason finale in Cleveland.
Running backs (4)
David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, Khari Blasingame, Trestan Ebner*
Of all the positions, this might be the most stable heading into the season. Montgomery is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will be relied on to establish a punishing running game that opens play-action opportunities.
Herbert stepped up when called on as a rookie in 2021. Blasingame, a fullback, will have a significant role right out of the gates. And Ebner, a dual-threat weapon out of the backfield, has intriguing upside.
Darrynton Evans, whom the Bears claimed off waivers in the spring, had an outside chance to make the team as a special teams contributor but got caught in a numbers crunch.
Wide receivers (7)
Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle, Velus Jones*, Dante Pettis, Tajae Sharpe, N’Keal Harry
Perhaps no position group will be in more flux over the next week. Only three of the seven receivers were healthy enough to practice Tuesday evening. The extended absences of Pringle, Jones and Sharpe remain a concern and will force coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to work through contingency plans for Week 1 — and perhaps beyond.
Harry likely will be placed on injured reserve this week, freeing a roster spot while making him eligible to return when he’s fully recovered from this month’s ankle surgery.
Tight ends (3)
Cole Kmet, Ryan Griffin, Jake Tonges*
Keep an eye on the waiver wire, where the Bears might consider a claim or two to pad their depth. Griffin is valued as a tone-setting run blocker. Tonges, listed on the roster as a fullback, has the versatility to play tight end and had a 2-yard touchdown catch in the preseason win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Internally, there’s optimism that Kmet is positioned to enjoy a significant Year 3 breakthrough. As Griffin noted earlier this month, Kmet’s combination of versatility and give-a-damn are opening his potential.
“He’s got all the tools in the bag,” Griffin said. “I’m excited to see what he can do. The sky is the limit for him.”
Offensive linemen (9)
Braxton Jones*, Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, Sam Mustipher, Teven Jenkins, Larry Borom, Riley Reiff, Ja’Tyre Carter*, Zach Thomas*
Michael Schofield’s feel-good homecoming came to an abrupt end Tuesday. The Bears’ decision to waive the 31-year-old guard was notable but not all that surprising after Schofield slipped down the depth chart this month.
Now the team will continue its youth movement up front. Of the nine linemen on the initial roster, three are rookies while Jenkins and Borom are entering their second seasons.
The impending return of Patrick, who has been out since early August after right thumb surgery, will be worth monitoring. When he’s cleared to play, there will be a ripple effect on the interior of the line.
Defensive linemen (8)
Robert Quinn, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Trevis Gipson, Dominique Robinson*, Justin Jones, Angelo Blackson, Khyiris Tonga, Mike Pennel
The Bears defensive ends were set all summer, with Quinn leading the pass rush, Muhammad bringing experience in Eberflus’ defense, Gipson looking for more in his third season and Robinson a rookie with intriguing upside.
Jones was one of the Bears’ biggest free-agent signings, and Blackson brings seven years of NFL experience. Tonga, a seventh-round pick in 2021, also was expected to return at nose tackle after playing in 15 games as a rookie. Pennel, entering his ninth season, is another veteran in an experienced group.
There were some notable cuts, including holdovers Mario Edwards Jr., Charles Snowden and Sam Kamara. Also cut were undrafted rookie Micah Dew-Treadway, a Bolingbrook native, and Trevon Coley, who was among the most successful pass rushers in the preseason.
Linebackers (6)
Roquan Smith, Nicholas Morrow, Matt Adams, Joe Thomas, Caleb Johnson, Jack Sanborn*
Sanborn’s inclusion is the big news in a position group that had its top four places set with veterans Smith, Morrow, Adams and Thomas.
Sanborn, a Lake Zurich graduate, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin and led all players with 13 tackles in preseason games. He made a splash in his preseason debut with an interception and a fumble recovery, and linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi said Sanborn is smart, tough, instinctive and able to correct mistakes.
Johnson, an undrafted free agent in 2021, likely secured his spot with his special teams abilities. DeMarquis Gates, whose wild football journey has included stops in the AAF, XFL, CFL and USFL, was the lone cut.
Cornerbacks (6)
Jaylon Johnson, Kindle Vildor, Kyler Gordon*, Duke Shelley, Lamar Jackson, Jaylon Jones*
The Bears seemed settled on starters Johnson, Vildor and Gordon — with Gordon able to play outside or at nickel — so the real question was which backups would make the cut.
Waiving Thomas Graham Jr. was among the most notable moves of the day. Graham was a 2021 sixth-round pick who played in four games last season with four passes defended. But he missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury. The Bears placed Tavon Young, another nickel option, on injured reserve with a lower leg injury.
Shelley returns for his fourth Bears season as another nickel option. The Bears went with Jackson, who played 14 games for the New York Jets the last two seasons, and Jones, an undrafted free agent, over Greg Stroman Jr., who had an interception in the preseason finale.
Safeties (5)
Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker*, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Elijah Hicks*, Dane Cruikshank
There were no surprises here, and the biggest question is when Brisker — one of two second-round picks — will be back from right thumb surgery to start alongside Jackson.
In the meantime, the Bears are in good hands with Houston-Carson, who enters his seventh season as a key backup and special teams player. Cruikshank is a veteran special teams contributor, and Hicks is an energetic seventh-round pick eager to make an impression. He had a touchdown on a muffed punt recovery against the Seahawks.
Special teams (3)
K Cairo Santos, P Trenton Gill*, LS Patrick Scales
The Bears felt strongly enough about their specialists that they didn’t bring in competition for them at training camp.
Santos returns after making 56 of 62 field-goal attempts the last two seasons. Scales has been a mainstay at long snapper. Gill, a seventh-round pick, had a solid preseason, averaging 45.2 yards per punt with a net of 39.8 and eight punts inside the 20.
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