Projecting the Bears' 53-man roster
The Bears say they’re built to win. Now they need to learn exactly which pieces to keep.
Projecting the Bears’ 53-man roster on the eve of the team’s first padded training camp practice Monday:
OFFENSE (25 keepers/44 players)
Quarterbacks (3/4)
They’re keeping: Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
On the bubble: Austin Reed
Battle to watch: The battle for the No. 2 job between Bagent and Keenum, who have rotated during camp. Bagent has believers in the Bears’ front office, and the Bears are sure to keep Keenum to help guide Williams.
Big number: 2 — Passes thrown by Bagent last year, one year after throwing 143 in relief of Justin Fields.
Running backs (4/6)
They’re keeping: D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Kyle Monangai
On the bubble: Deion Hankins, Ian Wheeler
Battle to watch: With a strong training camp, can Monangai coax the Bears into keeping four running backs? Swift is the starter, Johnson the short yardage back and Homer the special teams ace. Ben Johnson’s Lions kept four running backs last season.
Big number: 3.8 — Yards per carry averaged by Swift last season, the fewest in his career by 0.3 yards.
Wide receivers (6/12)
They’re keeping: DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Olamide Zaccheaus, Devin Duvernay, Tyler Scott
On the bubble: Miles Boykin, Maurice Alexander, John Jackson, JP Richardson, Samori Toure, Jahdae Walker
Battle to watch: Who returns kickoffs? Duvernay and Scott are fighting for the job, with the winner perhaps cementing their roster spot. The new kickoff rules mean that a successful kick return unit could yield big results.
Big number: 140 — Targets for Moore last season, producing 966 receiving yards. The year before, he totaled 1,364 receiving yards on four fewer targets.
Tight ends (3/6)
They’re keeping: Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, Durham Smythe
On the bubble: Stephen Carlson, Jordan Murray, Joel Wilson
Battle to watch: How will Kmet and Loveland split playing time? Only two coordinators used a two tight end set more than Johnson did last season. Still, he didn’t use a balanced target share. While Sam LaPorta caught 60 balls, No. 2 tight end Brock Wright caught 13.
Big number: $3.2 million — the relatively small dead salary cap hit the Bears would pay if they cut Kmet after this season
Offensive line (9/16)
They’re keeping: Braxton Jones, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Ozzy Trapilo, Kiran Amegadjie, Ryan Bates, Bill Murray
On the bubble: Theo Benedet, Chris Glaser, Joshua Miles, Jordan McFadden, Doug Kramer, Luke Newman, Ricky Stromberg
Battle to watch: The three-way left tackle competition is the best of camp, with the experienced Jones fighting Trapilo and Amegadjie, who were drafted in the second and third rounds the past two years, respectively. All three figure to make the team — and history shows the Bears will need them.
Big number: 7 — The Bears used seven different starting lineups on the offensive line last year
DEFENSE (25/42)
Defensive line (9/15)
They’re keeping: Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter, Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Shemar Turner, Chris Williams, Andrew Billings, Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson
On the bubble: Daniel Hardy, Zacch Pickens, Jamree Kromah, Xavier Carlton, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Jonathan Ford
Battle to watch: Who will be the Bears’ third edge rusher? Johnson praised Robinson as a breakout candidate at the end of OTAs, and GM Ryan Poles traded up for Booker in 2024 with eyes on him settling for his sophomore season.
Big number: 8 ½ — Sacks totaled by Sweat and Odeyingbo, whom the Bears are paying a about $33 million in cap hits this season, in 2024.
Linebackers (5/8)
They’re keeping: TJ Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Ruben Hyppolite II, Noah Sewell, Amen Ogbongbemiga
On the bubble: Swayze Bozeman, Power Echols, Carl Jones
Battle to watch: The strong-side linebacker spot is the only open starting job on the Bears defense. Sewell has been playing there most often thus far in camp, though Hyppolite’s speed intrigues the Bears.
Big number: 27 — Defensive snaps played last year by everyone in the linebacker room not named Edwards or Edmunds
Cornerbacks (7/13)
They’re keeping: Jaylon Johnson (on NFI list), Josh Blackwell, Kyler Gordon, Terell Smith, Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright, Zah Frazier
On the bubble: Nick McCloud, Tre Flowers, Tysheem Johnson, Shaun Wade, Jeremiah Walker, Shaun Wade
Battle to watch: Wright — and not Smith — has begun camp as the starter in place of Johnson. The Bears like Smith’s size and speed but he missed most of OTAs with an injury.
Big number: $37.2 million — What the Bears are spending on their cornerbacks, the third-most in the NFL, per Over the Cap.
Safeties (4/6)
They’re keeping: Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, Elijah Hicks, Jonathan Owens,
On the bubble: Major Burns, Alex Cook, Ameer Speed
Battle to watch: Brisker against health. The safety has had three diagnosed concussions in his three-year career, including one that cost him all but five games last year.
Big number: 138 — Career starts by Byard, the second-most among all active safeties, behind the Vikings’ Harrison Smith
SPECIAL TEAMS (3/5)
They’re keeping: K Cairo Santos, P Tory Taylor, LS Scott Daly
On the bubble: K Jonathan Kim, LS Luke Elkin
Battle to watch: The Bears’ three starters are entrenched.
Big number: 89.3 — Cairo Santos’ career field goal percentage, the best in team history.
• Note: The Bears have 91 players on their roster, one above the maximum, because Taylor is on the exempt/international player list during camp.