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Meet the Chicago Bears initial 53-man roster following roster cuts

By Kole Noble,

12 hours ago

The Chicago Bears have finalized all of the team's roster cuts and have formed the first initial 53-man roster for the 2024 season.

The team announced the roster on Tuesday afternoon. Keep in mind that this is likely to change over the next few days as the team pursues players on the waiver wire.

With that being said, here are the initial 53 players the Bears kept on the roster.

Quarterback (2)

Caleb Williams
Tyson Bagent

The Bears opted to keep just two quarterbacks on the roster instead of using one of the 53 spots on an emergency third quarterback in Brett Rypien. That means the Bears will enter the regular season with just Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent on the roster. Rookie Austin Reed should be expected to return on the practice squad.

Running Back (4)

D'Andre Swift
Khalil Herbert
Roschon Johnson
Travis Homer

Following Ian Wheeler's season-ending injury, the Bears opted to keep special teamer Travis Homer on the 53-man roster. Per Brad Biggs, the team is expected to bring back fullback Khari Blasingame once a player is placed on the IR to open a spot.

Wide Receiver (6)

DJ Moore
Keenan Allen
Rome Odunze
Tyler Scott
Velus Jones Jr. (WR/RB)
Deandre Carter

This room remains as expected following the preseason. Velus Jones Jr. and Deandre Carter make the final cut due to their special teams value as returners. Dante Pettis was placed on the injured reserve with no designation to return this season.

Tight End (3)

Cole Kmet
Gerald Everett
Marcedes Lewis

As expected, the Bears plan to carry only three tight ends on the 53-man roster. Due to heavy tight end usage in the offensive and special teams contributions, a fourth tight end could have been a possibility. Ultimately, the team cut each of the other three tight ends that were on the roster.

Offensive Line (10)

Braxton Jones (LT)
Teven Jenkins (LG)
Coleman Shelton (C)
Nate Davis (RG)
Darnell Wright (RT)
Ryan Bates
Matt Pryor
Kiran Amegadjie
Doug Kramer Jr.
Bill Murray

The offensive line looks strong this time around in Chicago. The starting five is set and the Bears have quality backups in Kiran Amegadjie, Matt Pryor, Ryan Bates, Bill Murray, and Doug Kramer, who was a surprise addition to the list. Offensive tackle Larry Borom will be placed on the short-term IR and will be designated to return during the season.

Defensive End (6)

Montez Sweat
DeMarcus Walker
Austin Booker
Darrell Taylor
Daniel Hardy
Dominique Robinson

At the end of the day, the Bears were able to keep both Daniel Hardy and Dominique Robinson on the team , even after trading for Darrell Taylor over the weekend. Veteran Jacob Martin was placed on the short-term IR due to a toe injury, which does not count on the 53-man roster. He will be eligible to join the roster if there is an open spot starting on Week 5 of the regular season.

Interior Defensive Line (4)

Gervon Dexter Sr.
Andrew Billings
Zacch Pickens
Chris Williams

After adding Chris Williams to the room, this position seemed to be set. The Bears will also get creative moving some of the edge rushers inside in various packages to help with the depth on the interior. Depending on Zacch Pickens' injury and availability, I could see Byron Cowart returning on the practice squad and being an early call up.

Linebacker (5)

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

The only surprise move here was keeping Noah Sewell over Micah Baskerville on the initial roster. Sewell missed time early during camp and the preseason but managed to return to the field in the preseason finale.

Cornerback (6)

Jaylon Johnson
Tyrique Stevenson
Kyler Gordon
Terell Smith
Josh Blackwell
Jaylon Jones

Josh Blackwell and Jaylon Jones earn the final spots at cornerback after strong preseason showings from both players. This is set to be a really strong room in 2024.

Safety (4)

Kevin Byard
Jaquan Brisker
Jonathan Owens
Elijah Hicks

The safety room has been decided for weeks now and the expected four players all made the final cut.

Specialists (3)

K Cairo Santos
P Tory Taylor
LS Patrick Scales

The Bears made the final decision official on Tuesday in regards to the specialist room after waiving long snapper Cameron Lyons. Patrick Scales made the initial roster but is expected to move to the injured reserve tomorrow due to injury, opening the door for Lyons return who handled duties the last few weeks. The team also, as expected, waived punter Corliss Waitman.