After ending the preseason on a high note with an undefeated record, the Chicago Bears now have difficult decisions to make in finalizing their 53-man roster for Week 1. Let’s take a look at how the Bears’ roster might shape out as they enter 2024 with aspirations of a playoff team.
Chicago Bears 53-Man Roster Projection
Quarterback (3)
Starter: Caleb Williams
Backups: Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien
While Williams didn’t see the field much in the preseason, what Chicago did see was evidence as to why he was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. There’s still room for Williams to grow, but he flashed the wow plays that many Bears fans were eager to see.
Rypien stole the show in the Hall of Fame Game. However, from the first week of preseason until the last, all Bagent did was prove he’s the backup quarterback moving forward.
Running Back (4)
Starter: D’Andre Swift (HB), Khari Blasingame (FB)
Backups: Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson
Newly acquired, Swift wasn’t much of a factor in preseason games outside of his spectacular screen play against Buffalo, which gives strong reason to believe he’ll be the main RB this season.
“You’re a Wizard Caleb Williams” 😳
🎥: @NFL pic.twitter.com/asoNn4j5CP
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 10, 2024
The Bears are also one of the few teams in the NFL to have a true fullback on their 53-man roster. In Blasingame’s two seasons with Chicago up to this point, he’s proven to be a unique tool for this offense.
Herbert and Johnson return from last season, and they’ll each serve as Swift’s backups.
Wide Receiver (6)
Starters: DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze
Backups: Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr., Dante Pettis
This is an area where the Bears are very deep, as their starting wide receiver trio is one of the best in the league. Moore, Allen, and Odunze are, without question, the three starters.
Behind them, Scott has impressed in the preseason. He’s a player head coach Matt Eberflus can put anywhere on the field to see success, given his incredible speed.
After Scott, Jones and Pettis round out the rest of the WR room. The Bears experimented with Jones at running back this preseason, while Pettis’ preseason performance should earn him the final spot in this position group.
Tight End (3)
Starter: Cole Kmet
Backups: Gerald Everett, Marcedes Lewis
This position group has been pretty set in stone since the beginning of the preseason. Kmet was recently extended through the 2027 season, which gives him comfort for a few years as long as he keeps producing.
Everett signed with the Bears this offseason, given the scheme Shane Waldron brings to Chicago, and Lewis remains the big-body veteran leader of the group going into his 19th NFL season.
Offensive Line (11)
Starters: Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Ryan Bates, Coleman Shelton, Darnell Wright
Backups: Larry Borom, Ja’Tyre Carter, Nate Davis, Doug Kramer Jr., Kiran Amegadjie, Jake Curhan
The Bears will be closely monitoring the offensive line, as their lack of depth (even in the starting lineup) is alarming.
Jones and Wright are two players on the line who Chicago can feel more comfortable with, as they’ve been very strong in both of their young careers.
Jenkins, while great when healthy, has yet to start an entire season from beginning to end. Since being drafted in 2021, he’s started just 24 games. With health being a factor in his game, the Bears will need to adapt if he goes down this season.
Bates and Shelton joined the roster this offseason as both look to help an interior OL that greatly needs it.
Defensive Tackle (3)
Starters: Gervon Dexter Sr., Andrew Billings
Backups: Zacch Pickens
The Bears’ interior defensive line is an area that will rely strongly on how well Dexter develops in his second season with Chicago. Dexter was drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but it took him a bit to adjust to the NFL. This season, he looks to make that next step.
Alongside Dexter is one of the better run-game stuffers in the league. Billings is a game wrecker up front with his 6’1″, 311-pound frame and should help the Bears’ interior defense, especially against the run.
Being used as more of a rotational piece, Pickens will likely see the field more sporadically and on down-specific looks.
EDGE (5)
Starters: Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker
Backups: Darrell Taylor, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy
An area Chicago has grown in is its edge rushers. Last season, before trading for Sweat, opposing quarterbacks appeared to be able to kick their feet up in the pocket. Now, that’s no longer the case.
Since joining the Bears midway through last season, Sweat has given a jolt to this defensive front that has been noticed across the league. Once he hit the field, everyone around him produced better, making Chicago’s defense one of the stronger units to close the season.
Walker joins him, starting on the opposite side. He’s not as cemented into his spot, especially later down the road, as the Bears have young, developing edge rushers who could overtake him by the end of the season.
On Friday, after their preseason finale, the Bears made a trade with the Seahawks for EDGE Darrell Taylor. A former second-round pick, Taylor adds a strong pass-rush ability to a defensive front that needs it.
Booker and Hardy round out the edge rushers, as both players showed a lot of promise in Chicago’s preseason matchups.
Linebacker (5)
Starters: T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Jack Sanborn
Backups: Noah Sewell, Amen Ogbongbemiga
Last season, the Bears had one of the better linebacker trios in the league with Edwards, Edmunds, and Sanborn. As an undrafted free agent, Sanborn has been a pleasant surprise to Bears fans, while Edmunds looks to make another step in his game this season.
Edwards was the best producer of the group, finishing last season as one of the top linebackers in the league with over 150 tackles, three interceptions, and a pair of fumble recoveries.
Sewell and Ogbongbemiga remain the team’s backup options. Both were strong contributors this preseason.
Cornerback (7)
Starters: Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon
Backups: Jaylon Jones, Greg Stroman Jr., Josh Blackwell, Reddy Steward
This is another area where Chicago shines, as its starting three corners are some of the best in the league.
Johnson was just given the money he deserves as one of the best pass defenders in the NFL. Stevenson and Gordon come into the season as two young corners who look to take that next step toward being elite CBs.
It’s going to be a strong battle for the backup corners in this room, but the four most likely to make the final roster are Jones, Stroman, Blackwell, and Steward. The Bears have a handful of capable cornerbacks, but these seven are the most likely to make it.
Safety (3)
Starters: Kevin Byard III, Jaquan Brisker
Backups: Elijah Hicks
After parting ways with Eddie Jackson this offseason, the Bears added Byard to the secondary in free agency, giving Chicago another strong presence in the defensive backfield.
Brisker enters his third NFL season and looks to make the same leap as his draftmate from the 2022 NFL Draft, Gordon. Brisker has been a strong player in Chicago’s secondary, but as a former second-round pick, there’s a little more to be desired.
Hicks wraps up the safety group, adding depth and an ability to play both safety spots competently.
Specialist (3)
Kicker: Cairo Santos
Punter: Tory Taylor
Long Snapper: Patrick Scales
Both Scales and Santos return for another season as Bears specialists. In addition, Chicago added one of the most impressive punter prospects in recent history to their roster this year in the draft.
While the Bears hope they don’t have to use him much, Taylor can completely flip a field, giving their defense better field position.