The preseason is over. But, the work has only just begun for the Chicago Bears.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have to bring the team down to a game-day roster by Tuesday.
“It is tough when you are in there the last time in the room with a 90-man roster,” Johnson said on Friday. “You know what is coming right around the corner here. We will have some tough decisions to make.”
It’s time to predict who’ll make the Bears’ 53-man roster. Here’s what we think the team will look like after final cuts.
Quarterbacks:
Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
This position has been set.
Caleb Williams is, obviously, the top guy in this room.
Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent were battling for the QB 2 position, but Bagent seems to have won that battle while Keenum has been out with a leg injury. Austin Reed remains on the practice squad.
Running Backs:
D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Kyle Monangai
This position has been set, too.
Rookie Kyle Monangai has impressed the coaching staff, Roschon Johnson has had a strong camp, Travis Homer is too good on special teams to cut and D’Andre Swift is the go-to back.
What remains to be seen is if injuries shake this room up to begin the season, as Johnson, Homer and Monangai didn’t play in the preseason finale. Johnson has missed the last two weeks of training camp.
Wide Receivers:
DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Olamide Zaccheus, Luther Burden, Devin Duvernay
This is the position to keep an eye on.
The top five are solidified. Duvernay brings a special teams presence that’s earned him the fifth spot, but it’s hard to ignore the preseasons that Maurice Alexander, Jahdae Walker and Tyler Scott have had. This comes down to the buzzer.
Walker, with the strongest preseason finale recording the game-winning touchdown catch and special teams presence, had the strongest finish to the preseason. Scott won’t be without a team for long, but there were just too many cooks in this kitchen.
The Bears would have to hope Walker makes it through waivers to put him on the practice squad.
Tight Ends:
Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, Durham Smythe
Joel Wilson and Stephen Carlson make this position interesting, especially coming down to the final spot.
However, Durham Smythe’s familiarity with Johnson’s offensive schemes gives him the edge. Carlson and Wilson could battle it out to see which one makes the practice squad.
Offensive Tackles:
Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo, Kiran Amegadije, Theo Benedet
The top three of Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones and Ozzy Traplio are no-brainers. Theo Benedet earned his spot on the roster. It comes down to Kiran Amegadije.
Like we saw last year, Poles does not like to give up on his draft picks. He kept Velus Jones Jr. after the preseason finale, and it would make sense to see Poles hang on to Amegadije, who did some interior work nearing the end of training camp. What remains to be seen is how much patience the team has with the third-round pick out of Yale.
Interior Linemen:
Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, Luke Newman, Ryan Bates
With the top three at the position solidified, this position came down to a rookie stepping up.
Luke Newman made this decision easy with his performances on both the right and left sides of the offensive line during the preseason. Ryan Bates was able stay healthy, which is as much of a boon as his ability to play guard and center. It means Bill Murray and Doug Kramer could be heading to the practice squad.
Defensive Ends:
Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeynigbo, Austin Booker*, Dominique Robinson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Daniel Hardy
While Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeynigbo are the starters, Dom Robinson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Daniel Hardy and Austin Booker earned their spots. Kpassagnon has been an unsung hero in training camp, too.
There’s an asterisk next to Booker’s name because he’ll miss some time with a knee injury he suffered against the Bills. How much time he misses remains to be seen.
Defensive Tackles:
Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter Sr., Andrew Billings, Shemar Turner, Chris Williams
This position is solidified, but it was a tough decision. Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr. lead the way, and Andrew Billings is healthy with 20 pounds of added muscle. Shemar Turner missed most of the preseason with an ankle injury, but should be ready for Week 1.
Chris Williams had a solid preseason. His addition last season via trade is one of the better under-the-radar moves Poles has made. Zacch Pickens is the odd man out here.
Linebackers:
Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Ruben Hyppolite II, Noah Sewell, Amen Ogbongbemiga
Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards lead this room, while Noah Sewell and Ruben Hyppolite II played their way into some playing time. Amen Ogbongbemiga has value as a special teamer and can play when his number is called upon.
Power Echols could be a practice squad candidate.
Defensive Backs:
Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Nahshon Wright, Josh Blackwell, Nick McCloud
This position came down to a pivotal moment that was out of the player’s hands. Reserve defensive back Terell Smith suffered a season-ending knee injury, which opened up the final spot. Nick McCloud earned that playing both outside and at nickel.
The Bears feel pretty good about Josh Blackwell as a reserve player, and whichever cornerback between Tyrique Stevenson and Nanshon Wright wins the starting job opposite Johnson.
Safeties:
Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Owens, Elijah Hicks
This position has been solidified since the first week of training camp it feels like. Elijah Hicks and Jonathan Owens are dependable backup safeties.
Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard have shined in the preseason.
Special Teams:
Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor, Scott Daly
Jonathan Kim was on the Bears’ roster until Santos nailed a 57-yard field goal vs. Miami. Taylor’s leg his getting more consistent, and Daly has earned his spot at long snapper.