The Chicago Bears have wrapped up the preseason slate and before we turn the page to the start of the regular season, the Bears first have to trim the roster down to the initial 53-man roster.

It’s going to be a tough process for head coach Ben Johnson, and a quick turnaround with the deadline set for later this evening.

Ahead of the flurry of moves, here’s my final prediction for what the Bears’ initial 53-man roster will look like including which players will start the season on the IR/PUP list.

Chicago Bears 2026 53-Man Roster Projection

Quarterbacks: 3

• Caleb Williams
• Tyson Bagent
• Case Keenum
• Out: Miller Moss

Status quo at what I still believe is the best quarterback room in the NFL. Time will tell if Tyson Bagent ever gets his opportunity, but for the time being, Bagent will remain in Chicago after a training camp that featured no major injuries at the QB position around the league.

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Running Backs: 3

• D’Andre Swift
• Kyle Monangai
• Roschon Johnson
• Out: Salvon Ahmed, Brittain Brown

D’Andre Swift was easily my standout player of training camp and is set up for a monster start to the season if Kyle Monangai ends up missing regular season time. As for the spot(s) behind those two, it’s hard to see the Bears keep both Roschon Johnson and Salvon Ahmed. Ahmed has been putting the work in on special teams to build his case but didn’t play in the preseason finale due to a minor injury. Johnson did and impressed again. I think he’s your RB3 while Ahmed is your Swift insurance on the practice squad.

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Wide Receivers: 6

• Rome Odunze
• Luther Burden III
• Kalif Raymond
• Jahdae Walker
• Zavion Thomas
• Kaden Davis
• Out: Scotty Miller, JP Richardson, Ray-Ray McCloud, Maurice Alexander, Omari Kelly

I have a lot of confidence in this WR from what we saw throughout training camp, especially with Luther Burden III looking primed for a Week 1 return. And that’s without seeing much of Zavion Thomas. As for Kaden Davis, he’s more than earned his spot on the 53-man roster, much like Jahdae Walker did last year. He had a phenomenal camp and his quiet night on the stat sheet Saturday shouldn’t cloud anything for his chances.

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Tight Ends: 3

• Colston Loveland
• Cole Kmet
• Sam Roush
• Out: Stephen Carlson, Hayden Large, Qadir Ismail

Chicago’s tight end room looks really really strong. Like perhaps the best tight end room in the entire league. I see the argument for keeping Hayden Large, but I view Theo Benedet as the team’s option in jumbo-sets. But, Large is certainly a viable practice squad candidate to bring back.

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Offensive Line: 10

• Braxton Jones (LT)
• Joe Thuney (LG)
• Garrett Bradbury (C)
• Jonah Jackson (RG)
• Darnell Wright (RT)
• Ozzy Trapilo
• Logan Jones
• Theo Benedet
• Jordan McFadden
• Luke Newman
• Out: Kiran Amegadjie, Jedrick Wills Jr., Caden Barnett, Kyle Hergel, Wesley French, Mason Murphy, Jaren Kump

The offensive line room has one burning question at the left tackle position, beyond who the starter is. It’s worth watching to see if Ozzy Trapilo is kept on the initial 53-man roster or if he’s placed back on the IR to continue his rehab process. I honestly have no idea what will happen with that. I am, however, certain that neither Kiran Amegadjie or Jedrick Wills Jr. will make the cut regardless of what happens with Trapilo. Another one to watch is whether or not the staff keep Caden Barnett over 2025 sixth-round pick Luke Newman.

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Defensive End: 5

• Montez Sweat
• Austin Booker
• Dayo Odeyingbo
• Marcus Davenport
• Daniel Hardy
• Out: Jamree Kromah, Jeremiah Martin

Projection Note: Shemar Turner (knee) opens the season on the PUP.

The health of Austin Booker will be a big conversation to watch going into Sunday. Ben Johnson said Booker is “week-to-week” with a groin injury. If it’s severe enough, the Bears could place him on the short-term IR to open the season for the second year in a row, which would open a spot for Jamree Kromah, who’s stood out this preseason. If Booker doesn’t hit the IR, it’ll be hard to see Kromah sticking due to the numbers game. However, thing to watch is the Bears cutting Davenport but bringing him back on the practice squad to keep letting him ramp up to game-shape before promoting him to the 53, that could open up the spot from Kromah to sneak on until Davenport is ready.

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Defensive Tackle: 5

• Grady Jarrett
• Gervon Dexter Sr.
• Jordan van den Berg
• Neville Gallimore
• Kentavius Street
• Out: James Lynch, Jayden Loving

This room, according to Ben Johnson, is the most underrated position on the roster. Gervon Dexter Sr. is still a trade name to watch and dealing with a hamstring injury. If he’s moved, I’m interested to see if the Bears look to keep James Lynch or Jayden Loving with that extra spot. For now, I’m leaving both off and Dexter on.

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Inside Linebackers: 5

• Devin Bush
• T.J. Edwards
• D’Marco Jackson
• Jack Sanborn
• Keyshaun Elliott
• Out: Rueben Hyppolite II, Jon Rhattigan, Tony Fields II, Antonio Grier Jr., Wayne Matthews III

Projection Note: Noah Sewell (Achilles) opens the season on the PUP.

Linebacker is going to be the toughest position for Dennis Allen to assess. The toughest call is parting ways with 2025 fourth-round pick Rueben Hyppolite II, but it’s hard to find a spot for him after the team activated rookie Keyshaun Elliott. However, Hyppolite is dealing with an injury and could be one of the two IR placements to watch.

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Cornerbacks: 5

• Jaylon Johnson
• Tyrique Stevenson
• Malik Muhammad II
• Josh Blackwell
• Terell Smith
• Out: Jaylon Jones, Dontae Manning, William Wright, Deantre Prince

Projection Note: Kyler Gordon (calf) opens the season on the PUP, Beanie Bishop opens the season on the reserve/suspended.

Questions still remain at cornerback, mostly regarding the status of Kyler Gordon. I believe he’ll remain on the PUP (out for weeks) to open the season, opening up a spot for Terell Smith to sneak in. Though, I wouldn’t put it past Ryan Poles and Dennis Allen trying to add to this spot after the initial roster is set. I also see Beanie Bishop joining the mix following his three-game suspension while Smith gets the initial spot after a strong outing on Saturday against the Titans. Jaylon Jones, I considered adding on here, but he left Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury and that could hurt his chances.

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Safeties: 5

• Dillon Thieneman
• Xavier Woods
• Cam Lewis
• Elijah Hicks
• Skyler Thomas
• Out: Anthony Johnson Jr., Marlen Sewell

Projection Note: Coby Bryant (knee) opens the season on the IR

Chicago’s safety room has taken a massive hit the last few weeks, with the biggest being the loss of Coby Bryant until at least December. Thankfully, the rest of the room got healthy at the right time with Xavier Woods and Elijah Hicks back in action but Ben Johnson is still unsure if there’s a player that can play anywhere close to Bryant’s level alongside Dillon Thieneman. Which could make it worth keeping Skyler Thomas over a sixth CB, especially since Cam Lewis has versatility at nickel.

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Specialists: 3

• Cario Santos (K)
• Tory Taylor (P)
• Beau Gardner (LS)

Beau Gardner won the long snapper battle days ago at training camp, however Richard Hightower still considered the rookie a “work in progress” earlier this week. Worth watching to see if the Bears look to upgrade this spot with a veteran off waivers and stash Gardner on the practice squad instead.