The Chicago Bears trimmed the roster down to the initial 53-man roster on Sunday, making some tough decisions along the way, including moving on from some former draft picks and preseason standouts.

It’s worth noting that this is the “initial” 53-man roster. Changes can and will happen to this group before the Week 1 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. So, be on the lookout for those moves over the next few days.

The next piece of the puzzle is building the 16-man practice squad, after the waiver claiming period has ended at 1:00 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 31. Let’s get ahead of the action and project what that 16-man squad could look like.

Building the Chicago Bears’ 16-man practice squad

WR Maurice Alexander

The first addition to the squad is an easy one. Maurice Alexander has a long history with Ben Johnson going back to their days in Detroit. Alexander had a strong preseason outing as a receiver and brings special teams value as a returner. He also was commended for stepping in a RB in a pinch during the preseason finale on Saturday.

WR Scotty Miller

Ben Johnson was impressed by Scotty Miller during the team’s rookie minicamp. His flashes became more sporadic throughout camp and the preseason, but the former Super Bowl champ brings plenty of veteran experience and the speed factor to the room.

WR Kaden Davis

I was shocked to see the Bears waive Kaden Davis. I thought he earned a spot on the 53-man roster with the way he’s stood out as a receiver, blocker, and special teamer over the last few weeks at practice and in the preseason. Instead, the Bears opted to keep five WRs on the initial 53-man roster. Which is why I have three making the squad.

OG Caden Barnett

The Bears paid top dollar to bring in the “Vanilla Gorilla” after going undrafted back in April but Caden Barnett wasn’t able to stand out enough to earn a spot over Jordan McFadden or Luke Newman. If he goes unclaimed through waivers, I could easily see him coming back and continue developing with Dan Roushar and Kyle DeVan.

OT Jedrick Wills Jr.

I’m going with Jedrick Wills Jr. over Kiran Amegadjie, and to me it’s an easy decision. Amegadjie got every opportunity to prove himself this offseason and still wasn’t able to stand out. Meanwhile, Wills is a former first-round pick and can continue getting his feet back under him with the Bears throughout the season while also rehabbing from his recent injury that forced him to miss the preseason finale.

DE Marcus Davenport

I was surprised to see the Bears keep Jamree Kromah on the initial 53-man roster over Marcus Davenport, but it was a welcome surprise. Kromah earned that spot. Davenport is still working to get in game shape and was an obvious practice squad candidate after getting released. Keep him there, elevate him as needed during the regular season, and one he gets three elevations, you have plenty of weeks to tape to see if he should be promoted to the active roster.

DT James Lynch

After trading away Gervon Dexter Sr., undrafted rookie Jayden Loving made the final cut at the defensive tackle position over veteran James Lynch. Both players stood out during the preseason and it’s clear the Bears felt they’d have a better chance bringing Lynch back than risk losing Loving on the waiver wire.

CB Terell Smith

The former fifth-round pick was one of the first cuts announced by the Bears, which was shocking because I felt Terell Smith played a solid game on Saturday after working his way back onto the field. Smith might not be the best fit in this scheme, but he can still play when he’s healthy and is worth keeping around.

RB Salvon Ahmed

Roschon Johnson made the cut for the initial roster as RB3 over Salvon Ahmed, who missed the preseason finale with an undisclosed minor injury. Ahmed worked hard to make an impact and did everything he could to try and stand out on special teams. He proved during the preseason that the speed is still there in his game and would be a valuable player to stash in case D’Andre Swift were to ever go down with injury.

LB Jon Rhattigan

The Bears only kept four linebackers on the initial 53-man roster, although I do see Jack Sanborn coming back soon after the Bears place safety Coby Bryant on the IR. As for the practice squad options, I’m giving the final veteran spot to Jon Rhattigan, who racked up 32 tackles and 24 stops during the preseason.

LB Ruben Hyppolite II

I don’t think anyone was too shocked to see last year’s fourth-round pick get cut. Ruben Hyppolite II was dealing with an injury and frankly wasn’t able to stand out enough, especially with rookie fifth-round pick Keyshaun Elliott activated off the PUP before roster cuts. His speed is still a worth quality to keep around.

CB William Wright

The Bears signed William Wright late into camp and with all of the injuries going on, he ended up working his way to getting first-team snaps on the outside opposite Jaylon Johnson. He only played 21 snaps during the preseason but can be one of our rookies to keep around and continue working with.

OL Jaren Kump

The undrafted rookie played 34 snaps in the preseason, all at left guard and has experience at center as well during his college days. He allowed just one pressure on those 34 snaps. I’m always looking to keep rookies who can play multiple spots and Kump could be the eventual backup to Logan Jones at center if he develops right.

QB Miller Moss

The Bears elected not to keep a practice squad QB last year (Austin Reed) after keeping three on the 53-man roster. I think things change this year with Miller Moss, the only QB in Chicago actually hand-picked by Ben Johnson. With the lingering thought out there that Tyson Bagent could be traded, it’d be smart to keep a young guy in the building to continue learning this offense and Moss has history being behind Caleb Williams.

TE Qadir Ismail

This is where things get tough because I’d like to keep Stephen Carlson around again on the practice squad, but we’re out of veteran spots. So, we’re going with Qadir Ismail at the tight end spot with four tight ends on the active roster.

S Marlen Sewell

I wanted to try and stash Anthony Johnson Jr. on here at safety after the Bears kept Skyler Thomas but I ran out of veteran slots. So, undrafted rookie Marlen Sewell makes the cut as our practice squad safety to round out the group.