(670 The Score) On a handful of occasions, general manager Ryan Poles has referenced how the much-improved Bears roster has become more difficult to make. Through competition in training camp and a four-game exhibition slate, those battles have played out.
With the Bears having closed their preseason with a 34-21 win against the Chiefs on Thursday evening, Poles and his front office will soon turn their attention to roster cuts. By Tuesday at 3 p.m., all NFL teams must trim their roster from 90 players to the 53-man limit. With that in mind, here's a look at our projected 53-man roster for the Bears.
Quarterback (2): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent
The Bears could’ve added a veteran quarterback in the offseason to serve as the stopgap in front of the rookie Williams, but they thought better of it.
Instead, the Bears immediately anointed the 22-year-old Williams as their starter and have given him every first-team snap since he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in late April. That gave Williams the opportunity to grow in the starting role right away.
Williams enjoyed a strong offseason, training camp and preseason and now feels ready for the regular season. In his second season, Bagent will serve as the backup. The Bears will likely sign Brett Rypien or Austin Reed to the practice squad as their third quarterback.
Running Back (5): D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Khalil Herbert, Travis Homer, Velus Jones Jr.
Having signed a three-year, $24-million deal with Chicago in March, Swift should play a key role in the Bears’ offense – especially early on as Williams finds his footing in regular-season action.
The second-year back Johnson should be an option in short-yardage and goal-line packages. Herbert is out of a leading role but should factor into the rotation, while Homer should make the roster as a key special teams player. And after being converted from wide receiver to running back and then rushing for 111 yards in the preseason finale Thursday, Jones may have made enough of an impression to stick on the roster after questions swirled about his future.
Wide receiver (6): DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Tyler Scott, Dante Pettis, DeAndre Carter
The Bears have one of the best receiving trios in the NFL in Moore, Allen and Odunze. The rookie Williams will lean on them plenty.
Behind them on the depth chart, Scott has improved entering his second NFL season, while the veterans Pettis and Carter offer stability for both the offense and special teams.
Tight end (3): Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, Marcedes Lewis
The Bears have versatility at tight end, and new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron should utilize this unit plenty.
Kmet had a strong 2023 campaign after signing a four-year, $50-million contract extension. He posted 73 receptions for 719 yards and seven scores. Everett has previous experience in Waldron’s system, while the 40-year-old Lewis is entering his 19th NFL season.
Offensive line (9): Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Ryan Bates, Kiran Amegadjie, Matt Pryor, Bill Murray
The Bears' plan was to create competition on the interior offensive line, but injuries derailed those hopes. Davis missed much of training camp with an injury, then the top reserve Bates – who was also competing for the starting center job – also suffered an injury. The Bears’ starting offensive line now seems set with Jones at left tackle, Jenkins at left guard, Shelton at center, Davis at right guard and Wright at right tackle.
Fourth-year tackle Larry Borom isn't included in this projection after he was carted off the field Thursday with a potentially serious injury. Murray, a reserve guard, claims the last offensive line spot.
Defensive line (8): Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter, DeMarcus Walker, Zacch Pickens, Andrew Billings, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy, Dominique Robinson
The defensive line is arguably where the Bears' roster is its thinnest, and they could work to address that on the waiver wire in the next week. In particular, the Bears will look at the defensive tackles who get cut by other teams in the coming days.
Booker, Hardy and Robinson have proved they belong in the pass rush rotation opposite of Sweat, who's coming off a Pro Bowl season.
Linebackers (5): Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Micah Baskerville
Edmunds and Edwards form a strong linebacking tandem for the Bears, while Sanborn, Ogbongbemiga and Baskerville will play roles as depth and on special teams. Noah Sewell, a fifth-round pick in 2023, doesn't make the cut here but could land on the Bears practice squad.
Cornerbacks (7): Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Terell Smith, Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones, Greg Stroman Jr.
The Bears boast a deep group at cornerback, a position that's one of their strengths. Johnson is coming off an All-Pro season, and Stevenson and Gordon form a strong starting trio with him. Smith, Blackwell, Jones and Stroman could start for some teams.
Safety (5): Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, Elijah Hicks, Jonathan Owens, Adrian Colbert
With the two-time All-Pro safety Byard joining Brisker, the Bears have their safety tandem in place. The only real competition at safety was for the last spot, where we project Colbert beats out Tarvarius Moore.
Specialists (3): Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor, Patrick Scales
The Bears are hopeful that the veteran long snapper Scales, who dealing with a back injury, will be ready to go for the regular season. If he isn't ready, Cameron Lyons remains on the 90-man roster while the Bears could also look into free-agent options.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.