Projecting the Chicago Bears’ 2024 53-man roster ahead of Tuesday’s deadline

LAKE FOREST – Training camp is officially in the books. The preseason is over.

Now, the Chicago Bears and NFL teams across the league are finalizing their 53-man rosters. With 90 players on the training camp roster, there are a lot of tough decisions for front offices to make this week.

The roster deadline is 3 p.m. Tuesday. The Bears already made several moves over the weekend. They cut defensive tackle Keith Randolph Jr. and tight end Tommy Sweeney on Saturday. The team also placed running back Ian Wheeler (knee), receiver Nsimba Webster (quad) and safety Douglas Coleman (neck) on injured reserve.

Nine more players were cut Monday, including guard Ja’Tyre Carter, a 2022 seventh-round draft pick by the Bears.

General manager Ryan Poles also has been quite active on the trade market, adding defensive end Darrell Taylor in a trade with Seattle and defensive tackle Chris Williams in a trade with Cleveland.

Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have some tough choices to make as they whittle the roster down to 53 players. Here’s Shaw Local’s best guess as to what this roster will look like Tuesday afternoon.

Quarterback (2)

Roster: Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent

Cut: Brett Rypien, Austin Reed

No surprises at the top. The Bears likely will try to bring back Rypien and Reed on the practice squad.

Running back/fullback (5)

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

Cut: None

Ian Wheeler, an undrafted rookie from Howard University, would’ve been the only player cut here, but he has already been placed on IR with an ACL injury. Velus Jones Jr. is listed as a receiver on the roster, so that’s where we’re putting him. More on him below.

Wide receiver (6)

Roster: DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr., DeAndre Carter

Cut: Dante Pettis, Collin Johnson, John Jackson, Peter LeBlanc

Nsimba Webster went on IR on Saturday. Jones sticks around as the kick returner. Whether he’s playing receiver or running back, he probably won’t see a ton of action on offense either way. He’s here to make a difference on kick returns. Carter seems likely to be at the top of the depth chart as the punt returner.

Tight end (3)

Roster: Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, Marcedes Lewis

Cut: Brenden Bates, Stephen Carlson, Tommy Sweeney

Kmet, Everett and Lewis are pretty much locked in. Lewis will serve as primarily a blocking tight end. Carlson had a nice training camp and could stick around on the practice squad.

Offensive line (10)

Roster: Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Ryan Bates, Larry Borom, Kiran Amegadjie, Matt Pryor, Bill Murray

Cut: Theo Benedet, Ja’Tyre Carter, Jerome Carvin, Aviante Collins, Jake Curhan, Doug Kramer

Borom has been one of the top backup tackles, but a serious-looking leg injury in the preseason finale could land him on injured reserve. If the Bears expect him back this season, they would have to place him on the 53-man roster first, then designate him for IR a day later.

Amegadjie is working his way back to full speed and Bates remains injured. The combination of those injuries probably means the Bears keep 10 linemen initially. Pryor can play multiple spots and the coaching staff has been excited about the progress Murray made this offseason.

Defensive line (9)

Roster: Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker, Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter Sr., Zacch Pickens, Darrell Taylor, Chris Williams, Dominque Robinson, Austin Booker

Cut: Byron Cowart, Michael Dwumfour, Daniel Hardy, Jaylon Hutchings, Jamree Kromah, Dashaun Mallory, Jacob Martin, Keith Randolph Jr.

The Bears just traded for Taylor and Williams. The coaching staff seems excited about the way Robinson has changed his body, adding muscle to his frame. Booker, a fifth-round draft pick, showed a lot of promise in the preseason. Hardy had 3.5 sacks in the preseason but is probably on the outside looking in.

Linebacker (5)

Roster: Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Noah Sewell

Cuts: Micah Baskerville, Carl Jones Jr., Paul Maola, Javin White

Baskerville played well in the preseason. The Bears, however, spent a fifth-round draft pick on Sewell a year ago and that probably takes priority. Sewell missed much of camp with an injury, but appears to be healthy after seeing action against the Chiefs. It’s possible the Bears could keep both. It probably comes down to whether they want a sixth linebacker or an extra defensive back. Last year, they kept five linebackers and 10 defensive backs.

Cornerback (6)

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

Cuts: Leon Jones, Reddy Steward, Greg Stroman Jr., Ro Torrence

The Bears are deep at cornerback. The final spot here probably goes to either Jaylon Jones or Stroman. Both can contribute on special teams. Steward had a nice preseason and the Bears probably want him back on the practice squad.

Safety (4)

Roster: Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Eljiah Hicks, Johnathan Owens

Cuts: Adrian Colbert, Quindell Johnson, Tarvarius Moore

The top four safeties have been pretty set for a while. The Bears already placed safety Douglas Coleman on IR with a neck injury. When everyone’s healthy, Byard and Brisker are the starters, while Hicks and Owens are the primary backups.

Special teams (3)

Roster: Cairo Santos (K), Tory Taylor (P), Patrick Scales (LS)

Cuts: Corliss Waitman (P), Cameron Lyons (LS)

This is assuming that Scales – who has missed several weeks with a back injury – is going to be good to go. Lyons has been the long snapper in preseason games.