The Bears have made the necessary roster moves to get down to 53 players by the 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Many faces that fans grew familiar with will now look for jobs elsewhere, while some will stick around on the practice squad. Like every year, the 2023 cut deadline offered plenty of surprises.

It is worth noting that the bottom of the roster will remain in flux until Week 1. As the Bears await to see what other teams do, players who initially made the roster could be dropped in favor of waiver claims. Now, let's get to meet this initial roster.

Quarterback (2)

IN: Justin Fields, Tyson Bagent**

OUT: PJ Walker, Nathan Peterman

Reaction: Talk about a surprise. UDFA Tyson Bagent has played his way onto this roster as the backup to Justin Fields. I'm assuming Peterman and/or Walker will be added to the practice squad. The team will likely want to keep some experience around. Bagent is an incredible story. 

Running Back (5)

IN: Khalil Herbert, D'Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Khari Blasingame (FB)

OUT: Robert Burns**, Trestan Ebner

Reaction: No surprises here. I thought Ebner had a shot, but he couldn't stay on the field this summer. Expect Johnson to work his way up the depth chart as the season progresses. 

Wide Receiver (6)

IN: DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Tyler Scott, Equanimeous St. Brown, Velus Jones Jr.

OUT: Daurice Fountain, Isaiah Ford, Nsimba Webster

Reaction: I thought perhaps the Bears would have a surprise or two here, but they ended up going as expected. Webster and Fountain had solid preseasons and could end up on the practice squad if no other team gets to them first. Velus gets another chance.

Tight End (3)

IN: Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis

OUT: Lachlan Pitts**, Stephen Carlson

Reaction: Carlson made a good attempt at a spot, but this is a tough group to crack. I wouldn't be surprised to see Carlson AND Pitts land on the practice squad. 

Offensive Line (10)

IN: Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright*, Larry Borom, Ja'Tyre Carter, Lucas Patrick, Dan Feeney, Doug Kramer

OUT: Alex Leatherwood, Aviate Collins, Robert Haskins**, Roy Mbaeteka, Dieter Eiselen, Gabriel Huoy**, Josh Lugg**, Logan Stenberg, Kellen Diesch

Reaction: The reserves are very interior-heavy. This might not matter much as a few of these guys have tackle experience. You won't see Feeney on the Bears' roster just yet because he has to pass a physical. 

Defensive Line (9)

IN: Yannick Ngakoue, Andrew Billings, Justin Jones, DeMarcus Walker, Zacch Pickens, Gervon Dexter Sr., Terrell Lewis, Dominique Robinson, Rasheem Green,

OUT: Trevis Gipson, D'Anthony Jones**, Bravvion Roy, Travis Bell*, Andrew Brown, Jalen Harris**

Reaction: Gipson requested a trade so cutting him made sense. I expect some other team to claim him. Bell is another player who should be headed to the practice squad. 

Outside Linebacker (2)

IN: TJ Edwards, Jack Sanborn

OUT: DeMarquis Gates, Davion Taylor, Mykal Walker

Reaction: I'm a little surprised that Walker didn't make it. The former Falcon impressed in his brief time with the Bears. I bet he lands on the practice squad if he isn't claimed. 

Inside Linebacker (3)

IN: Tremaine Edmunds, Noah Sewell*, Dylan Cole

OUT: Barrington Wade, Micah Baskerville**

Reaction: This is pretty much what was expected. Baskerville did enough to get a practice squad spot for sure. Edmunds will probably never leave the field and Sewell should contribute on special teams. 

Cornerback (6)

IN: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson*, Terell Smith*, Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones

OUT: Kindle Vildor, Michael Ojemudia, Greg Stroman Jr., Macon Clark**,

Reaction: This is a solid group. The writing was on the wall for Vildor after he struggled last season and didn't impress this summer. Blackwell got the final spot due to his ability at nickel. 

Safety (4)

IN: Jaquan Brisker, Eddie Jackson, Elijah Hicks, AJ Thomas

OUT: Bralen Trahan**, Kendall Williamson*

Reaction: I thought Trahan had a shot after an impressive summer, but he will likely end up on the practice squad. The Bears have one of the best safety tandems in the league, so keeping just four makes sense. 

Special Teams (3)

IN: Trenton Gill (P), Cairo Santos (K), Patrick Scales (LS)

OUT: None

Reaction: This group is solid and has been locked for a while now. 

Predicting the 2023 Bears Practice Squad

Analyzing who could end up on the Bears practice squad.

Featured image via © Daniel Bartel | 2023 Aug 26