Here are all the players the Chicago Bears cut this week in order to trim roster to 53

LAKE FOREST – All 32 NFL teams must cut their rosters to 53 players by 3 p.m. Tuesday. For most teams, that means cutting more than 20 players in the next 24 hours.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have some decisions to make as they shape their first roster.

The Bears finished the preseason with a 3-0 record. Quarterback Justin Fields and the first-team offense had its best performance Saturday in a 21-20 win over the Cleveland Browns.

The regular season opener is looming on Sept. 11 against the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field. What the roster looks like heading into that matchup will start to take shape in the coming hours and days.

[ Shaw Local’s Chicago Bears 53-man roster projection ]

The Cuts

The Bears already waived the following players:

• DB Jon Alexander (on Monday)
• TE Chase Allen
• WR Isaiah Coulter
• DL Micah Dew-Treadway
• C Corey Dublin (on Monday)
• OL Dieter Eiselen
• RB Darrynton Evans
• WR Chris Finke
• LB DeMarquis Gates
• CB Thomas Graham Jr.
• DL Sam Kamara
• OL Lachavious Simmons
• WR Kevin Shaa (on Monday)
• DE Charles Snowden
• DB A.J. Thomas
• RB De’Montre Tuggle
• WR Nsimba Webster

The following veterans were released:

• OT Shon Coleman
• DT Trevon Coley
• DE Mario Edwards Jr.
• DB Davontae Harris
• QB Nathan Peterman
• OG Michael Schofield
• CB Greg Stroman Jr.

Additionally TE James O’Shaughnessy was released with a non-football illness designation and CB Tavon Young has been placed on injured reserve.

Analysis

Releasing second-year cornerback Graham comes as a little bit of a surprise, although the promising cornerback missed all of training camp with an injury. He is a practice squad candidate. Young, a veteran signed to play the slot corner spot, also missed much of training camp with a lower leg injury. Going directly on IR means he will miss the remainder of the season.

The Bears signed Dublin as a backup center after rookie sixth-round draft pick Doug Kramer went on injured reserve due to a lower leg injury earlier this month. Shaa, an undrafted rookie out of Liberty, made a nice play here and there during minicamp, but was simply buried too far down on the depth chart at receiver.

Edwards comes as a bit of a surprise. The veteran defensive lineman was under contract for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Former GM Ryan Pace signed Edwards in September 2020 and gave him a three-year contract extension in March 2021. In order to cut Edwards, the Bears must eat about $1.6 million in salary cap space.

Peterman, the third-string QB, is not a total surprise. The Bears will likely bring him back on the practice squad. Fewer and fewer NFL teams carry three quarterbacks on the active roster anymore since the NFL began allowing veterans on practice squads.

The Bears signed Schofield just before training camp began. The eighth-year veteran is an Orland Park native with lots of NFL experience at guard. But when Teven Jenkins emerged as a potential starter at right guard, Schofield was pushed into a reserve role.