The Chicago Bears may not have made their final roster decisions official yet. However, anybody with common sense knows that the coaching staff has a pretty good idea of which way they’re going. They know who is a lock for the roster and who is gone. The only remaining discussions concern the final spots at every position. Do they go light at one position so they can go heavy at another? Who are they confident they can stash on the practice squad without risk of losing a player they like?
Knowing all of the factors in play, here is my official prediction for the Bears’ roster come the final cuts. There aren’t any gigantic surprises, but there were certainly a few nailbiters.
Chicago Bears QBs: Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
Zero surprises here. It is the same setup as last season, with Williams leading the way while Bagent serves as the primary backup, and Keenum is essentially a player-coach on the sideline. Miller Moss didn’t show much in camp or the preseason to change this.
RB: D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Roschon Johnson, Salvon Ahmed
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Monangai’s knee injury status likely pushes the Bears to play it safe by keeping two backs instead of one. Johnson is still a good short-yardage back who helps on special teams. Ahmed can provide the versatility they want in the passing game, adding some needed burst to the backfield.
WR: Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Kalif Raymond, Zavion Thomas, Jahdae Walker, Kaden Davis
Davis is the big winner. He has put together a truly impressive month of work, taking all the big plays from practice and turning them into big plays in the preseason. He’s earned that spot over Scotty Miller and the other hopefuls. Everybody else was never really in question.
TE: Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Sam Roush
Hayden Large has really made a strong impression this past month. Under different circumstances, the undrafted tight end would crack the roster, but the Chicago Bears don’t have the spots to spare. A trio of Loveland, Kmet, and Roush is more than enough to cover all of their bases.
OL: Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo, Joe Thuney, Garrett Bradbury, Logan Jones, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Jordan McFadden, Theo Benedet, Luke Newman
With this setup, the Bears maintain good depth at all three positions up front. Jones will serve as the starter to open the season until Trapilo is healthy enough to take over. McFadden and Newman will handle the guard duties while Jones backs up Bradbury in the middle. That leaves Benedet as a sort of piece they can move around as needed.
DL: Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, Marcus Davenport, Daniel Hardy, Dayo Odeyingbo, Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter, Neville Gallimore, Jordan Van Den Berg
This is tough since the Bears have a lot of intriguing options at defensive tackle. The problem is, they can’t afford to leave Hardy off. He is too important to their special teams. Having an experienced trio to help guide Van Den Berg feels like the right play, while it is hoped Davenport and Odeyingbo can stay healthy.
LB: D’Marco Jackson, T.J. Edwards, Devin Bush, Jack Sanborn, Keyshaun Elliott
Ruben Hyppolite would’ve been on this list if he hadn’t injured his shoulder after the first preseason game. It was another reminder that his body might not be up to the rigors of this league. Sanborn may not be a top athlete, but he’s sturdy and dependable. The Bears aren’t likely to cut Elliott despite him missing training camp with an undisclosed injury.
CB: Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Cam Lewis, Malik Muhammad, Josh Blackwell
Johnson and Stevenson are likely starters. The unknown is who will replace Gordon at nickel until he’s ready. Lewis feels like the obvious choice unless the coaches decide to gamble on Muhammad. The 4th round pick has played there almost exclusively throughout the preseason. Blackwell, another core special teamer, also wins out.
S: Dillon Thieneman, Xavier Woods, Elijah Hicks, Skyler Thomas
*Coby Bryant is on IR
Since Lewis is capable of playing safety as well, the Chicago Bears aren’t pressed to go heavy at safety, even with Bryant out. Woods should be a solid starter once he’s back from his hamstring issue. Hicks is a special teams ace, and Thomas has really earned his way into a spot after a strong camp.
SPEC: Cairo Santos, Beau Gardner, Tory Taylor
Gardner won the long snapping job early in camp. Santos and Taylor remain entrenched as the kicker and punter, respectively—pretty good continuity in the third phase.
