Final Chicago Bears 53-man roster and practice squad projection ahead of the Hall of Fame Game

It's officially game week for the Chicago Bears following the first full week of training camp. On Thursday, the preseason kicks off with the Bears playing the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame Game.

Based on what's been reported out of camp sessions, here's my final crack at the team's 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad.

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: With Caleb Williams locked in as the starter for camp, the main battle has been for the QB2 and QB3 job on the roster.

The Bears unofficial depth chart released last week had listed Tyson Bagent or Brett Rypien in the backup quarterback spot, meaning Bagent might not have locked up the job as of yet . Seeing how each player performs during the preseason games will be a major deciding factor to determine who will be listed behind Williams. Either way, I still see both players landing on the roster with Austin Reed making the practice squad.

Running Backs (5)

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

Analysis: Still projecting the same backfield for the Bears going into the 2024 season. All eyes were on Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson during camp to see who would emerge in the battle for the RB2 role. Herbert seemed to have the better outings, and might find a way to stick around after all in Chicago .

The battle I was most interested in here was Travis Homer vs UDFA Ian Wheeler. Both players have a shot to make the roster as a special teams contributor and I'm still siding with Wheeler due to his age and versatility. Demetric Felton was a late add to the training camp roster and is nothing more than fresh legs for preseason games.

Wide Receivers (5)

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

Analysis: The Bears are boasting a strong trio of starting receivers with Tyler Scott and Velus Jones Jr. becoming some surprise players during training camp .

If a sixth wide receiver makes the team, it'll come through special teams as a punt returner. However, it's hard to justify using another spot for the role considering DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and others could field punts during the season.

Tight Ends (3)

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

Analysis: Shane Waldron's usage of the tight end room is going to be a fun storyline to follow during the season. The Bears have three very experienced players at the position who all play in different ways. Each player will see some considerable snaps.

Offensive Linemen (10)

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

Analysis: There are still plenty of battles taking place on the offensive line, most notably at the center position between Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton. Both players are easily locks to stick around, it's just a matter of who starts up-front.

As for the depth, it's hard to really say. For the sake of projections, rookie Kiran Amegadjie will make the roster in some fashion. Larry Borom saw some solid offseason reps with players limited, as did Matt Pryor. I also like Jake Curhan's chances after coming to Chicago this offseason.

Defensive Linemen (9)

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

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

Analysis: Up-front, the Bears defensive line has dominated throughout camp mixing different players around the line of scrimmage. The starting four should be confirmed at this point, but plenty of players will be rotating in off the bench.

Rookie Austin Booker and veteran Jacob Martin have received great reviews all offseason while Zacch Pickens and UDFA Keith Randolph Jr. offer some nice upside in the interior. Dominique Robinson and Byron Cowart are a strong preseason away from making the team as well.

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: Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, and Jack Sanborn have all looked legit during camp roaming the middle of the field, which is expected out of the veterans. Behind those three, Amen Ogbongbemiga has gotten the most work with Noah Sewell missing a large portion of time.

Cornerbacks (6)

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

Analysis: At cornerback, the Bears have a strong chance to retain almost the exact same room the team had in 2023. Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Tyrique Stevenson are going to be an incredible trio. Behind them, Greg Stroman and Terell Smith have gotten the first looks when players are out.

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: Kevin Byard has really given the Bears secondary a true leader and he's been a great mentor at the position for Jaquan Brisker. Jonathan Owens will be the first player behind those two, even though he's currently in Paris, with Elijah Hicks also getting a lot of second-team reps.

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: This group still remains the same heading into the preseason with everyone eager to see what kind of weapon rookie punter Tory Taylor could be on the field. The other two spots will of course go to the veterans Cairo Santos and Patrick Scales.

Practice Squad Projection

• QB Austin Reed: The Bears latest UDFA quarterback is going to make for a great practice arm and should have some exciting plays during the preseason. Austin Reed is the best player to keep around to further develop during the season.
  
  
• RB Travis Homer: Even though I have Wheeler beating out Homer for his role on special teams, he's too valuable to let fully walk out of the building. His versatility could be really important to keep around in case someone on ST gets hurt.
  
  
• WR Nsimba Webster: Nsimba Webster is one player in the wide receiver room I really like, but missing time during the first few sessions of camp is really going to hurt him unless he makes some plays during the preseason to keep around.
  
  
• WR Collin Johnson: The team really needs a big-bodied depth target like Collin Johnson in practice and as a potential call-up player. As the only one in the room who really fits that bill, he's sure to stick around.
  
  
• WR Deandre Carter: Deandre Carter offers some really strong special teams value as a returner, something that could even lead to him finding a spot on the 53-man roster. If not, sticking around on the practice squad works out too.
  
  
• TE Tommy Sweeney: The coaching staff has really liked Tommy Sweeney during training camp as he's made a few plays in the passing game. He's currently listed as TE4 on the unofficial depth chart which is really telling.
  
  
• OL Theo Benedet: The former University of British Columbia standout believes he has the ability to play all five positions up-front and offensive line coach Chris Morgan will make sure he stays on the team in some capacity.
  
  
• OL Ja'Tyre Carter: Ja'Tyre Carter was able to stick around last season on the 53-man roster and appeared in 10 games during the season. Rookie Kiran Amegadjie and Larry Borom will likely push him off the roster and onto the PS this year.
  
  
• OL Aviante Collins: Aviante Collins is another player who could returner to the practice squad as a player you can trust to call up to the roster mid-season if the unit were to suffer any unforeseen injuries like what happened in 2023.
  
  
• LB Noah Sewell: The second-year linebacker likely lost his job during training camp after not being able to participate during key camp sessions. As a recent draft pick with special teams capabilities, he's worth keeping around.
  
  
• LB Micah Baskerville: The same goes for Micah Baskerville at the position. Baskerville got called up twice during the 2023 season and played a solid portion of special teams snaps in those games.
  
  
• DE Khalid Kareem: Khalid Kareem was claimed off waivers by the Bears last August, but a hip injury forced him onto the IR and eventually the practice squad. He still has some experience and upside to continue developing.
  
  
• DL Dashaun Mallory: The UDFA hometown hero has to stick around on the practice squad. Mallory grew up 40 minutes from Chicago and it'll be a cool moment to see on Hard Knocks getting brought back on the team after cuts.
  
  
• DL Jamree Kromah: The former JMU All-American was a freak during his pre-draft process. While it'd be great to have a player like that stick around in some capacity, Kromah will have to make that decision after being drafted in the UFL.
  
  
• DB Reddy Steward: Another defensive UDFA the team would love to keep around is Reddy Steward. Steward got some work in last week in the nickel with Kyler Gordon out and could be a decent player with more development.
  
  
• CB Josh Blackwell: It's always a good decision to keep experienced cornerbacks on the PS in case injuries present themselves during the season. Josh Blackwell fits that role perfectly after playing 26 games over the past two seasons.

Related: Bears Training Camp Takeaways: Tyler Scott continues to show he can be a true play-maker for the new offense