A to Z Sports

Chicago Bears 53-man roster and practice squad projection following the second preseason game

By Kole Noble,

12 hours ago

Through two preseason games, the Chicago Bears remain undefeated and most importantly have started to narrow down some of the main positional battles.

There's still a lot of football to be played between now and roster cuts but the clock is ticking for certain players on the roster. Here's how I project the Bears 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad being constructed after two games.

Note: Players with an asterisk (*) were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, players with two asterisks (**) were undrafted free agents signed by the team.

Quarterbacks (3)

Projected Starter: Caleb Williams*
Backups: Brett Rypien and Tyson Bagent
Out: Austin Reed**

Analysis: Caleb Williams looked strong in his preseason debut against the Buffalo Bills, proving all the hype might in fact be justified. Saturday's game also provided an extended look at the backup quarterbacks on the roster.

Tyson Bagent played a lot more snaps in the second preseason game, leading one touchdown drive. Brett Rypien didn't get as many looks, however, he really shined and put quality plays on tape in the preseason opener. Austin Reed looked solid as well after getting in during the entire fourth quarter while making a few solid throws and helping lead two scoring drives as well. Overall, the order still remains the same.

Running Backs (5)

Projected Starters: D'Andre Swift and Khari Blasingame (FB)
Backups: Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, and Ian Wheeler**
Out: Travis Homer

Analysis: D'Andre Swift's explosiveness was on display on the first drive of Saturday's game. Khalil Herbert mixed in-and-out with Swift and took over as the primary back on the second drive. Roschon Johnson did not appear in the game, but handled the opening drive carries against the Texans the week prior.

Ian Wheeler was the real star out of the backfield this week. The UDFA had strong runs during the final quarter and scored his first two touchdowns of his NFL career. I still like Wheeler making the team over Travis Homer based on what we saw this weekend.

Wide Receivers (6)

Projected Starters: DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze*
Backups: Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr., and Collin Johnson
Out: Dante Pettis, Deandre Carter, Nsimba Webster, Freddie Swain, John Jackson**

Analysis: We got our first look at the Bears new WR trio on Saturday, even though DJ Moore is the only one who recorded a reception. Rome Odunze, however, did get one end zone look from Williams once the team marched into the redzone.

Following his big game in the preseason opener, Collin Johnson did not appear against the Bills. I still like his chances after an eye-opening game two weeks ago compared to Dante Pettis and Deandre Carter, who haven't been able to truly separate themselves through the first two games.

Tight Ends (3)

Projected Starters: Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett
Backup: Marcedes Lewis
Out: Stephen Carlson, Tommy Sweeney, and Brenden Bates**

Analysis: The Bears tight end room saw a lot of usage once again during the team's second preseason game. Tommy Sweeney and Brendan Bates saw some high snap counts, Stephen Carlson got a few looks up the seam, while Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett lined up with the first-team offense. Kmet, Everett, and veteran Marcedes Lewis will still be the guys in the room, but there's a lot to like out of the PS options.

Offensive Linemen (10)

Projected Starters: Braxton Jones (LT), Teven Jenkins (LG), Coleman Shelton (C), Ryan Bates (RG), and Darnell Wright (RT)
Backups: Nate Davis, Matt Pryor, Kiran Amegadjie*, Jerome Carvin, and Bill Murray
Out: Larry Borom, Jake Curhan, Doug Kramer, Ja'Tyre Carter, Theo Benedet** and Aviante Collins

Analysis: The battles up-front should all be decided following Saturday's game. The Bears starting front five of Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Ryan Bates, and Darnell Wright looked great protecting their rookie quarterback.

As for the depth, things are starting to clear up. Matt Pryor and Bill Murray took a considerable amount of first-team reps as the backups during practice and have played well through two games. Everyone is still patiently waiting to see if rookie Kiran Amegadjie will be able to suit up or not during the preseason. And it seems like Nate Davis is going to be one of the highest-paid backups in the league.

Defensive Linemen (9)

Projected Starters: Montez Sweat, Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter, DeMarcus Walker
Backups: Austin Booker*, Zacch Pickens, Jacob Martin, Dominique Robinson, Byron Cowart

Out: Michael Dwumfour, Daniel Hardy, Khalid Kareem, Dashaun Mallory**, Carl Jones**, Jaylon Hutchings, and Jamree Kromah**

Analysis: What was once the biggest question on the team's roster looked to be the biggest strength on Saturday. The Bears finished the game with eight sacks against the Bills, led by rookie Austin Booker.

The depth now looks strong on the defensive front behind Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker, Andrew Billings, and Gervon Dexter. The one battle I'd hone in on during the remainder of the preseason will be between Byron Cowart and Daniel Hardy.

Linebackers (4)

Projected Starters: Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards
Backups: Jack Sanborn and Amen Ogbongbemiga
Out: Noah Sewell, Micah Baskerville, Paul Moala**, and Javin White

Analysis: After the unit largely struggled in the preseason opener, the linebackers turned it around this weekend. Amen Ogbongbemiga finished with seven tackles and one sack while Micah Baskerville had an interception returned for a touchdown.

It'll still be a back and forth battle to determine who to keep in this room behind the confirmed three starters at the position. Noah Sewell is the one who needs to step up after missing each of the last two games.

Cornerbacks (6)

Projected Starters: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Tyrique Stevenson
Backups: Terell Smith, Greg Stroman, and Jaylon Jones
Out: Josh Blackwell, Leon Jones**, Ro Torrence** and Reddy Steward**

Analysis: At cornerback, the position still remains the same based on what I've seen out of the first two preseason games. Greg Stroman has looked solid through two games and Jaylon Jones has really impressed me. Against the Bills, Jones allowed just one reception on five targets and had one pass breakup.

Safeties (4)

Projected Starters: Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker
Backups: Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks
Out: Adrian Colbert, Tarvarius Moore, Douglas Coleman and Quindell Johnson

Analysis: This room is essentially locked up. Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks should be the confirmed backups by now at safety. It'll be tough for any of the other options in the room to compete with those two at this point.

Specialists (3)

Projected Starters: Cairo Santos (K), Tory Taylor* (P), and Patrick Scales (LS)
Projected Returners: PR Rome Odunze* and KR Velus Jones
Out: Corliss Waitman and Cameron Lyons

Analysis: Once again, the room remains the same. The Bears did have to bring Cameron Lyons back on the roster with Patrick Scales dealing with an injury. However, Lyons had a bad snap on Saturday that led to a missed extra point by Cairo Santos. As for returners, while we didn't see Odunze handling punt return duties after all on Saturday, no one has really impressed back there through two games.

Practice Squad Projection (16)

QB Austin Reed: Reed looked solid after getting a lot more work during the second preseason game. He's got a strong arm and made a few tight window throws. He's one you'd definitely like to keep around.
RB Travis Homer: Homer is too valuable of a player on special teams not to keep around in some capacity, even if Wheeler steals his spot on the roster. Against the Bills, Homer played four special teams snaps and 15 offensive snaps.
WR Nsimba Webster: Nsimba Webster got a lot more work this weekend playing 31 total snaps against the Bills. The coaches really like Webster in Chicago, making him an easy selection to remain on the practice squad.
WR Deandre Carter: Carter hasn't really impressed too much as a returner or as a receiver on offense, but the experience and lack of mistakes so far gets him the nod over Dante Pettis.
TE Tommy Sweeney: The coaching staff has really liked Tommy Sweeney during training camp and he's made a multiple plays in the passing game the last two weeks. He's certainly worth keeping around if he keeps making plays.
TE Brenden Bates: I am perfectly fine with keeping two tight ends on the practice squad. The question is just who should get the spot between Bates and Carlson. I'm rolling with Bates based on his age and potential development.
OL Theo Benedet: The former University of British Columbia and Hard Knocks standout was injured against the Texans, likely ruining his hopes of making the roster. He still has the ability to play all five positions up-front and can keep developing with the team on the practice squad.
OL Ja'Tyre Carter: Ja'Tyre Carter was able to stick around last season on the 53-man roster and played a total of 40 snaps on Saturday. However, Amegadjie will likely push him off the roster and back onto the practice squad this year.
OL Jake Curhan: Curhan played 32 snaps against the Bills and 27 snaps against the Texans this preseason. He has only allowed on pressure over those two games. It would be a good idea to keep him around as well.
LB Noah Sewell: The second-year linebacker has more than likely lost his job after not being able to participate in either game. As a recent draft pick with special teams capabilities, he's still worth keeping around.
LB Micah Baskerville: Baskerville had a strong showing with his pick-six and two tackles against the Bills. He's a guy the coaches really like and will want to keep.
DE Daniel Hardy: Hardy really exploded onto the scene this weekend after recording 2.5 sacks and two tackles for a loss. That kind of performance can keep him around if he builds off of it going forward.
DL Dashaun Mallory: The UDFA hometown hero has to stick around on the practice squad. Mallory played solid this weekend, recording three tackles and one tackle for a loss.
DL Keith Randolph Jr: The Bears paid a lot to land Randolph after the draft but he wasn't able to suit up on Saturday. It'd be nice to keep him around and develop.
DB Reddy Steward: Steward got some work in the last two weeks in the nickel with Kyler Gordon out and could be a decent player with more development.
CB Josh Blackwell: Blackwell is an experienced guy the coaches can trust and fits the role perfectly after playing 26 games for the team over the past two seasons.