Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles set his initial 53-man roster Tuesday.
Now Poles and his staff will work on building a 16-player practice squad while scouring other teams’ cuts to see if any players would be a good fit for the Bears.
More roster movement is expected ahead of the season opener Sept. 8 against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field. But here’s a look by position at who made the team initially, who was cut and why the moves were made.
Quarterbacks (2)
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On the roster: Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent.
Notable cuts: Brett Rypien and Austin Reed.
Quick take: A new era began in Chicago when the Bears handed Williams the reins as soon as they drafted him with the No. 1 pick, and he has shown enough flashes in the preseason to fuel the excitement. Bagent returns as the backup after starting four games as an undrafted rookie in 2023, and the Bears are encouraged by his progress. Rypien, who has played in 10 games over four NFL seasons, served as a veteran presence in the quarterbacks room during training camp, but the Bears cut him and Reed, an undrafted rookie from Western Kentucky. They’ll need a third-string quarterback to join the practice squad.
Wide receivers (5)
On the roster: Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Tyler Scott and DeAndre Carter.
Notable cuts: Dante Pettis (injured reserve) and Collin Johnson.
Quick take: When the Bears traded for Allen and drafted Odunze in the offseason to join Moore, wide receiver became the most improved position group outside of possibly quarterback. The intrigue at camp was more about how the workload will be divided among the three. Moore had 1,364 receiving yards and Allen had 1,243 last season. The speedy Scott, a 2023 fourth-round pick, returns for his second season as depth. Carter also can serve as a punt returner, a job he won from Pettis, who was placed on IR.
Running backs (5)
On the roster: D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer and Velus Jones.
Notable cuts: Khari Blasingame (fullback) and Ian Wheeler (IR).
Quick take: The Bears signed Swift to a three-year, $24 million contract in the offseason to be their lead back. That pushed Herbert and Johnson down the depth chart, but there’s still room for their contributions, though Johnson missed time in camp with an injury. Homer brings special teams value. The Bears tried out Jones — who doubles as a kickoff returner — at running back during camp in an effort to find a fit for him within the offense. His work apparently was enough for an initial roster spot. The Bears terminated Blasingame’s contract but could re-sign him this week after juggling the roster.
Tight ends (3)
On the roster: Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett and Marcedes Lewis.
Notable cuts: Stephen Carlson and Brenden Bates.
Quick take: The Bears have a proven, experienced group at tight end with the return of Kmet (fifth year) and Lewis (19th year) and the addition of Everett (eighth year). It’s another part of the offensive support system in place for Williams. Bates, an undrafted rookie, could be a practice squad candidate if no other team picks him up.
Offensive linemen (10)
On the roster: LT Braxton Jones, LG Teven Jenkins, C Coleman Shelton, RG Nate Davis, RT Darnell Wright, C/G Ryan Bates, G/T Matt Pryor, T Kiran Amegadjie, C Doug Kramer and G Bill Murray.
Notable cuts: T Larry Borom (IR, designated for return) and T Ja’Tyre Carter.
Quick take: While Jones, Jenkins and Wright return as starters, the Bears billed the center and right guard positions as competitions. But Bates’ shoulder issue made the decision for them — at least for now. Shelton and Davis are penciled in as starters heading into Week 1 while the Bears await Bates’ recovery, though the fact he didn’t go on IR is positive. Kramer made it as a backup center. Amegadjie still is ramping up after missing most of camp as he recovered from a quadriceps injury. Borom suffered an ankle injury in the preseason finale and will go on short-term IR, giving the Bears the option to bring him back this season.
Defensive linemen (10)
On the roster: DEs Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker, Darrell Taylor, Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson and Daniel Hardy and DTs Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens and Chris Williams.
Notable cuts: DE Jake Martin (IR, designated for return).
Quick take: Sweat is still the engine of the bunch, but the Bears tried to make upgrades around him, including trading Friday for Taylor, who had 21½ sacks in three seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. Coaches have high hopes for Booker’s development on the edge. Robinson and Hardy impressed during camp to earn initial spots, though Martin eventually could return. A lot of expectations fall on Dexter as he takes over for the departed Justin Jones as the starter at three-technique in his second season. The Bears brought in Williams to provide depth as Pickens deals with an injury.
Linebackers (5)
On the roster: Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Amen Ogbongbemiga and Noah Sewell.
Notable cuts: Micah Baskerville and Carl Jones.
Quick take: Edmunds and Edwards were humming as a duo by the end of last season, with the capable Sanborn chipping in too. The group helped fuel the Bears’ surge in takeaways, and they’re back to build on that season. The Bears added Ogbongbemiga as a special teams contributor and for depth. Sewell, a fifth-round pick in 2023, returns despite an injury-plagued camp.
Cornerbacks (6)
On the roster: Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Terell Smith, Josh Blackwell and Jaylon Jones.
Notable cuts: Greg Stroman and Reddy Steward.
Quick take: The Bears are high on their young, talented group of cornerbacks, led by Johnson, who is coming off a career-best four-interception season. Gordon’s comfort in Year 3 and the expected growth of Stevenson in Year 2 solidify the faith in the group. Smith logged good experience in his rookie season, too, and Blackwell and Jones are strong depth and special teams pieces. Stroman was an odd man out after playing in nine games with two starts for the Bears over the last two seasons, as was the undrafted rookie Steward.
Safeties (4)
On the roster: Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks.
Notable cuts: Adrian Colbert.
Quick take: The Bears parted with Eddie Jackson and brought in Byard in the offseason. The veteran has been a big hit as a leader of the defense, but he missed recent practices with an injury. Brisker also has missed time with an injury, and health will be a major factor for him in 2024. The Bears have capable backups in newcomer Owens and Hicks, whom Byard recently complimented. Colbert was a depth casualty.
Specialists (3)
On the roster: K Cairo Santos, P Tory Taylor and LS Patrick Scales.
Notable cuts: LS Cameron Lyons and P Corliss Waitman.
Quick take: After signing a four-year, $16 million extension at the end of last year, Santos is back for his fifth season with the Bears. He’s trying to build on his 90.4% field-goal percentage in Chicago, but he’s working with a new kicking operation. Taylor, a rookie whom the Bears drafted in the fourth round, is his new holder along with being a head-turning talent at punter. Scales, who has been with the Bears since 2015, injured his back early in camp. The Bears could place Scales on IR and search for a replacement until he’s ready to return.
Our takes
Brad Biggs
You can’t say the Bears aren’t throwing bodies at the pass-rushing situation, electing to keep six defensive ends on the initial roster. Add Jacob Martin, who was designated to return from IR with a toe issue, and there will be no shortage of players given an opportunity to hunt quarterbacks. But six ends probably doesn’t work for long, especially considering the team will re-sign fullback Khari Blasingame and must find a fill-in long snapper while Patrick Scales (back) is on IR.
Ryan Poles opted for depth on the offensive line, too, where he kept 10 players. One key there will be keeping interior players Ryan Bates, Nate Davis and Teven Jenkins healthy. Bates is expected back from a shoulder issue soon, and avoiding IR was a good sign.
The team is light at linebacker with only five, but Poles always can flex suitable candidates from the practice squad for special teams needs. I was a little surprised Velus Jones, listed as a wide receiver by the Bears, made it. As I wrote last week, finding him a spot for him to contribute on offense feels more forced than it did a year ago. Who do you take off the field to get Jones involved?
Three undrafted rookie free agents who impressed in camp and the preseason were released: cornerback Reddy Steward, linebacker Carl Jones and tight end Brenden Bates. That’s indicative of a few things. First, it’s a better roster than it was the last two years and it was harder to make the team. Second, remember that teams didn’t like the depth of this year’s draft after Round 4. That trickled down to the UDFA class as well. It’s likely the Bears prefer all three to return to the practice squad.
It’s the best group of wide receivers I’ve seen in 24 years covering the team, and the combination of Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett might be the best pairing at tight end in that frame. I think the running back group is solid, so it should be a fascinating season for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
Colleen Kane
It’s a credit to the group Ryan Poles put together that there were few surprises on cutdown day. Except for the interior of the offensive line, we pretty much knew who all of the starters would be heading into camp.
The roster looks significantly better at the offensive skill positions than it did in 2023 with the additions of Caleb Williams, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift and Gerald Everett. And a defense that found its groove at the end of last season has a lot to build on with the majority of starters returning.
The offensive and defensive lines remain the biggest areas of concern, even with the upgrades Poles made in the offseason. Ryan Bates’ shoulder issue isn’t ideal as the Bears have had durability concerns with guards Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis in the past. They also are banking on continued growth from left tackle Braxton Jones and right tackle Darnell Wright.
On defense, the Bears need Montez Sweat to again make the entire unit better as he did in 2023. They need one or two of the other ends to catch fire. And they need tackle Gervon Dexter, a second-round pick last year, to continue his ascent.
And then the big question mark in all of it is how quickly Williams adjusts to the NFL as a rookie. If that goes well, this looks on paper like it could be one of the most exciting teams in Chicago in a while.
Dan Wiederer
Little that happened Tuesday registered as much of a surprise. Velus Jones’ inclusion on the initial roster was probably the most notable development, a dice roll by the Bears with conviction they still can squeeze production out of the third-year receiver-turned-running back, both on special teams and in a niche role on offense. Credit Jones for leaning into his August position change and producing in preseason games.
Beyond that, the most notable subtractions were cornerbacks Greg Stroman and Reddy Stewart, quarterback Brett Rypien and safety Adrian Colbert.
On the whole, the roster looks sturdier than it has in years with plenty of top-end talent at the skill positions and quality depth across many key areas, most notably in the secondary and at running back. That positions the Bears to be a legitimate playoff contender in 2024, with Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus perhaps on the verge of the Year 3 leap they envisioned when they took over in 2022.
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