Bears’ 2025 Initial 53-man Roster: Ben Johnson’s first squad is officially set with a fan-favorite UDFA surviving the final cuts
All eyes are now on Week 1.
The Chicago Bears have finalized all of the necessary roster decisions and cuts ahead of the 4:00pm EST deadline and as a result, we now have the initial 53-man roster going into the 2025 season.
As it stands, this is the first official squad of the Ben Johnson Era. But, it’s worth stressing the word initial. Changes can still be made to this group in the coming days such as additions or subtractions.
The Bears could also utilize some injured reserve spots to manipulate this initial roster a bit and add some outside free agents / waiver claims to the roster. Until such moves are made, let’s take a look at the roster and breakdown some of the takeaways.
Quarterback (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, and Case Keenum
As expected, the Bears are taking all three quarterbacks into the regular season in Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, and Case Keenum.
Williams will open the season as the starter with Bagent as his backup coming off another impressive preseason stint. Behind the two, Keenum will bring some veteran experience to the room as a mentor on the sidelines.
Running Back (3): D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, and Kyle Monangai
Looking at this initial roster, the running back room has to be the most concerning position on the roster. D’Andre Swift will have a lot asked out of him early in the season with Roschon Johnson and Kyle Monangai still dealing with injuries.
The Bears plan to get creative with other players on the roster, such as WR DJ Moore taking snaps in the backfield, to ease the burden off Swift’s shoulders until Johnson and Monangai are fully healthy. Travis Homer was placed on the injured reserve and will be designated to return after at least Week 4.
Wide Receiver (6): DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Olamide Zaccheaus, Luther Burden III*, Devin Duvernay, and Jahdae Walker**
A noticeable decision here. Fan-favorite undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker has officially made the 53-man roster coming off a tremendous preseason in which he won over the trust of the coaching staff and his fellow teammates in the locker room. A great story for a player who has deserved it.
As a result, the Bears opted to keep six WRs on the initial roster. Moore, Rome Odunze, and Olamide Zaccheaus will be the main starters for this offense with rookie Luther Burden III providing a dynamic weapon to mix in. Meanwhile, Devin Duvernay made the final cut as well and will be locked in as the team’s starting return man on special teams.
Tight End (3): Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland*, and Durham Smythe
The tight end trio remains as expected. All three tight ends will see a significant amount of playing time this season with Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland getting the most work moving all around the formation to create mismatches against the defense.
As for Durham Smythe, his blocking ability in the preseason earned a final spot in the room and he can use that skillset as an underrated piece to this offense in key situations.
Offensive Tackle (5): Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo*, Theo Benedet, and Kiran Amegadjie
This continues to be another concerning position, at least on the left side. Ben Johnson confirmed on Tuesday that the left tackle battle is still undecided going into Week 1, although Braxton Jones seems to be the leader in the race, albeit on a short leash.
Because of that, the Bears made a rare decision to keep five offensive tackles in order to have Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie as options. Don’t forget about Ozzy Trapilo, as well, who’s currently set to take over the swing tackle position.
Interior Offensive Line (5): Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, Luke Newman*, and Ryan Bates
A strong interior group in 2025 compared to the 2024 season, thanks to the revamped effort by Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson. Acquiring Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson as starters on the inside where massive moves this offseason.
The two followed it up by selecting Luke Newman in the sixth-round of the draft, who impressed at both guard positions during the preseason. Let’s not overlook the improvement Ryan Bates has made this offseason either, as he heads into his second season in Chicago. Arguably the team’s strongest position group this season.
Defensive End (5): Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson, and Daniel Hardy
The Bears will in fact be bringing five defensive ends into the season with Daniel Hardy getting the final spot at the position.
Overall, this is a weak group, but the unit got a boost with Austin Booker avoiding the IR to start the season, a sign he should be back within the first four weeks from his knee injury.
Interior Defensive Line (5): Gervon Dexter Sr., Grady Jarrett, Andrew Billings, Shemar Turner*, and Chris Williams
The interior of the defensive front was decided when the Bears opted to waive former third-round pick Zacch Pickens in favor of keeping Chris Williams as a reserve player.
As for the starters, Dennis Allen will rotate between Gervon Dexter, Grady Jarrett, and Andrew Billings. After missing time due to an ankle sprain, we’ll see how soon Shemar Turner can ramp back up and get mixed in with the rest of these players.
Linebacker (5): Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Noah Sewell, Ruben Hyppolite II*, and Carl Jones Jr.
A surprise to some, five linebackers ended up making the cut, but it’s not the number that’s surprising. Carl Jones Jr. made the cut as the fifth LB with Amen Ogbongbemiga heading to the short-term injured reserve.
A deep position with some standout starters leading the way in Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards.
Cornerback (6): Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright, Josh Blackwell, and Nick McCloud
We finally got some clarity at the cornerback position, that turned out to be a competitive group throughout training camp. Following Terell Smith’s season-ending injury and after placing rookie Zah Frazier on the NFI list, things opened up in the cornerback room.
Six players ended up making the initial cut and the Bears got a positive update with Jaylon Johnson still on track to return in Week 1.
Safety (4): Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Owens, and Elijah Hicks
Health and durability will be a big question for this position that lacks some depth and long-term security. All four players listed above are entering into the final year of their current contracts.
In Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, the Bears have two highly talented and versatile players in the secondary but the key will be keeping both players on the field, especially Brisker.
Specialists (3): Cairo Santos (K), Tory Taylor (P), and Scott Daly (LS)
The specialist group, again, remains as expected with the only notable takeaways being Scott Daly winning the long-snapper job over rookie Luke Elkin, who will likely be back on the practice squad.
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