Projecting the Chicago Bears’ 53-man roster ahead of training camp

Bears training camp is days away. Players and coaches will begin a six-week journey that can feel like a marathon. Veteran players report for camp on Tuesday and the first practice is Wednesday.

It’s far too early to accurately predict what the Bears’ 53-man roster will look like come Week 1. But we’re going to give it a try anyway.

Teams enter training camp with 90 players on the roster, but must cut that number down to 53 by 3 p.m. Aug. 29. What happens during camp and during the team’s three preseason games will determine some of the tougher calls at the fringes of the roster. This is simply a projection based on what we know now ahead of training camp.

Quarterback (2)

Roster: Justin Fields, P.J. Walker

Cut: Nathan Peterman, Tyson Bagent

Peterman is probably destined to be the emergency third quarterback under the league’s new rules. Third QBs are still technically on the practice squad. Bagent could be a practice squad candidate or an outright cut.

Running back/fullback (5)

Roster: Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman, Khari Blasingame (FB), Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer

Cut: Trestan Ebner, Robert Burns (FB)

Homer should make the roster due to his special teams value. Ebner, a 2022 sixth-round pick, didn’t show much last season. The Bears list Burns as a fullback. It’s possible they keep him on the practice squad.

Wide receiver (6)

Roster: DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Equanimeous St. Brown, Velus Jones Jr., Tyler Scott

Cut: Dante Pettis, Nsimba Webster, Joe Reed, Daurice Fountain, Thyrick Pitts, Aron Cruickshank

Pettis has good chemistry with Justin Fields, which could save his job, but it feels more likely the Bears protect players they drafted in Jones and Scott. Jones was near the league-lead in kick return average last season. If he can show he has improved as a punt returner, that would give him a leg up.

Tight end (3)

Roster: Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan, Jake Tonges

Cut: Chase Allen, Stephen Carlson

Tonges stays on as the blocking specialist and backup fullback. That gives him the edge over Allen. In this scenario, the Bears would like to keep Allen on the practice squad.

Offensive line (9)

Roster: Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Lucas Patrick, Larry Borom, Dieter Eiselen, Alex Leatherwood

Cut: Ja’Tyre Carter, Doug Kramer, Kellen Diesch, Gabe Houy, Lorenz Metz, Robert Haskins, Josh Lugg, Roy Mbaeteka

Backups ideally can play multiple spots. That’s what gives Patrick, Borom, Eiselen and Leatherwood a good shot to make the roster. Carter, Kramer and Diesch would be likely candidates for the practice squad. It’s worth wondering how long the Bears want to keep the Leatherwood experiment going.

Defensive line (9)

Roster: DeMarcus Walker, Justin Jones, Andrew Billings, Trevis Gipson, Gervon Dexter Sr., Zacch Pickens, Dominique Robinson, Terrell Lewis, Rasheem Green

Cut: Andrew Brown, Jalyn Holmes, Donovan Jeter, Travis Bell, Jalen Harris, D’Anthony Jones

Green and Lewis were seeing lots of reps during OTAs. The defensive end spot feels fairly cut and dry. The wild card is if the Bears are still in the market for an additional edge rusher. Jones, Billings, Dexter and Pickens would give the Bears a nice rotation at defensive tackle.

Linebacker (6)

Roster: Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Sterling Weatherford, Dylan Cole, Noah Sewell

Cuts: DeMarquis Gates, Kuony Deng, Micah Baskerville

Linebacker often makes up the bulk of the special teams tacklers. Weatherford, Cole and Sewell will all be valuable special teams players and backups at the linebacker position.

Cornerback (6)

Roster: Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Kindle Vildor, Josh Blackwell, Terell Smith

Cuts: Jaylon Jones, Michael Ojemudia, Greg Stroman Jr.

Johnson, Stevenson and Gordon will be key parts of the defensive game plan. Vildor will be the primary backup. The Bears love Blackwell as their gunner on punt coverage. It could come down to Smith vs. Jones for the final cornerback spot. The Bears drafted Smith with a fifth-round pick in the spring.

Safety (4)

Roster: Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks, Kendall Williamson

Cuts: A.J. Thomas, Adrian Colbert, Macon Clark, Bralen Trahan

Hicks proved to be a really good special teams player last season, and played well as the backup safety when needed. Williamson was a seventh-round pick out of Stanford this spring.

Special teams (3)

Roster: Cairo Santos (K), Trenton Gill (P), Patrick Scales (LS)

Cuts: Andre Szmyt (K), Ryan Anderson (P)

It would be surprising to see the Bears change anything with their three key special teams spots. Szmyt, a local undrafted rookie, could find himself sticking around on the practice squad.