Chicago Bears 53-Man Roster Projection: Cornerback room looks complicated and recent events add intrigue at offensive tackle
Picture is starting to clear up after two preseason games.
The Chicago Bears have completed two games of preseason action with only two practices and one final game to go before having to make roster cuts ahead of the regular season.
With the team off today, there’s no better time to take a step back and evaluate how the potential 53-man roster is shaping up based on everything we’ve seen and heard the last few weeks.
So, let’s get into it.
Quarterback (3)
In: Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, and Case Keenum
Out: Austin Reed
Keeping three quarterbacks still seems like the right move to make this season. Caleb Williams showed a lot of good things in limited action against the Bills while Tyson Bagent continued to run away with the QB2 role. Case Keenum still has a spot on this roster as a veteran voice.
Running Back (5)
In: D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Kyle Monangai, Travis Homer, and Ian Wheeler
Out: Deion Hankins and Brittain Brown
Running back is starting to become an interesting position for the Bears. D’Andre Swift is locked in as the starter and Kyle Monangai has quickly won over the coaching staff. Meanwhile, Roschon Johnson has missed a chunk of time, including both games, due to a foot injury. But, barring any outside move, he’ll stick around as the main goal-line/short-yardage back.
Ian Wheeler is the one who’s making a strong case once again in the preseason with 114 total yards and two touchdowns. His play was even more notable with Travis Homer sitting out of the game against the Bills. Those two players are the ones to watch, I’m fine keeping both for now.
Wide Receiver (6)
In: DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Olamide Zaccheaus, Luther Burden III*, Devin Duvernay, and Jahdae Walker**
Out: Maurice Alexander, Miles Boykin, Tyler Scott, Samori Toure, and JP Richardson
The wide receiver position is another one that’s worth watching during the last week of practice ahead of Friday’s preseason finale. The top five WRs are set in DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Olamide Zaccheaus, Luther Burden III, and Devin Duvernay.
The question is whether or not the team keeps a sixth, and who that sixth might be. Based on the two games on tape, undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker would have my vote, with Maurice Alexander close behind. Special teams impact will ultimately be the determining factor for this potential spot.
Tight End (3)
In: Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland*, and Durham Smythe
Out: Joel Wilson, Stephen Carlson, and Thomas Gordon**
Same three tight ends yet again. Sunday’s game against the Bills gave us the first real showing of Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland in action at the same time, and they lived up to the hype.
As for the third TE, Durham Smythe posted some solid PFF blocking grades in both preseason games, giving him the edge over the rest of the room looking to earn a spot.
Offensive Tackle (5)
In: Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo*, Theo Benedet, and Kiran Amegadjie
Out: Joshua Miles
This position has gotten incredibly muddled over the last week with rookie Ozzy Trapilo moving to right tackle and second-year Theo Benedet getting first-team reps at left tackle. Regardless, the starters seem to be Braxton Jones at LT and Darnell Wright at RT with Trapilo as the swing tackle.
As for last year’s third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie, things are looking grim. The only thing that can save his case is whether or not he can kick inside. I don’t foresee the team moving on from him yet.
Interior Offensive Line (5)
In: Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, Luke Newman*, and Ryan Bates
Out: Doug Kramer Jr., Chris Glaser, Jordan McFadden, Bill Murray, and Ricky Stromberg
Keeping Amegadjie to play tackle/guard makes things a little easier when selecting the interior players. Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson will be the obvious starters on the interior and I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Luke Newman playing both guard positions.
Ryan Bates has looked solid as a backup center as well and offers guard flexibility. As for Doug Kramer Jr. and Bill Murray, injuries continue to hold those two players back from a final spot.
Defensive End (4)
In: Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Austin Booker, and Dominique Robinson
Out: Daniel Hardy, Jamree Kromah, Xavier Carlton**, and Tanoh Kpassagnon
Sticking with four players off the edge. It might not be a lot of depth on paper, but you have to remember Dennis Allen will rotate his defensive lineman so players like Gervon Dexter Sr. and Shemar Turner will see some reps off the edge.
Austin Booker and Dominique Robinson both have had strong showings in camp/preseason, but both players did leave Sunday’s game due to injury. But, both injuries don’t seem too serious.
Interior Defensive Line (5)
In: Gervon Dexter Sr., Grady Jarrett, Andrew Billings, Shemar Turner*, and Chris Williams
Out: Zacch Pickens and Jonathan Ford
On the interior, I’m keeping the same five players here as well, even though I’ve been impressed with what Zacch Pickens has been able to show in the two preseason games.
Chris Williams, to me, has sounded like a more consistent player rushing from the inside throughout camp. Regardless, this will be an aggressive and relentless unit inside.
Linebacker (4)
In: Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Noah Sewell, Ruben Hyppolite II*
Out: Amen Ogbongbemiga, Carl Jones Jr., Swayze Bozeman, and Power Echols**
I’m still torn on this one, but based on the defense Allen is looking to run and prioritizing versatile defensive backs, I’m fine keeping just four linebackers with Noah Sewell being the SAM while playing special teams with rookie Ruben Hyppolite II.
If I had an extra spot to use, I would have kept Amen Ogbongbemiga given his impact on special teams, it just literally came down to whether or not I had the final spot to use.
Cornerback (6)
In: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright, Nick McCloud, and Josh Blackwell
Out: Tre Flowers, Mekhi Garner, and Kaleb Hayes
Reserve (did not report): Zah Frazier*
Reserve (injured): Shaun Wade and Terell Smith
This is where things start to get complicated. With Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon missing time due to injury, we’ve been able to see other cornerbacks on this roster step up. Which has essentially locked up a roster spot for Nahshon Wright (and serious playing time).
Terell Smith had been looking really good until suffering a non-contact knee injury. Nothing’s been reported about the severity yet, but Johnson said it didn’t look good, so I went ahead and put him on the season-ending IR with Shaun Wade on the normal IR. As for rookie Zah Frazier, the fifth-round pick has yet to report to camp due to a personal matter. Using the reserve did not report designation allows the Bears to keep him on the roster while not using an official roster spot until he returns.
Doing both of those designations allowed me to keep both Nick McCloud and Josh Blackwell, which would give the defense two versatile corners who also can contribute on special teams.
Safety (4)
In: Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Owens, and Elijah Hicks
Out: Tysheem Johnson**, Alex Cook, Millard Bradford, and Mark Perry
Status quo at the safety position keeping the same four players. Jaquan Brisker has looked like a different animal out there during camp and his presence will immediately sure up this position.
As far as depth goes, Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks still seem like the immediate guys. I wanted to see Tysheem Johnson push for a spot in the preseason but he’s only got one more game to turn some heads.
Specialists (3)
In: Cairo Santos (K), Tory Taylor (P), and Scott Daly (LS)
Out: Luke Elkin** (LS)
After Scott Daly returned from a brief injury, he regained the starting role at the long snapper position. Thus allowing all three specialists to remain the same after Cairo Santos officially beat out Jonathan Kim for the kicker spot.
Chicago Bears News
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It was an encouraging sight.
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