The Chicago Bears made 31 cuts to finalize their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, which included plenty of notable moves.
There was plenty to digest from this first 53-man roster, including how things break down by position, notable roster cuts and some surprise bubble players who made the cut.
Keep in mind, this initial 53-man roster is subject to change as waiver wire claims are made on Wednesday and other players are moved around.
Here’s what we learned from the Bears’ initial 53-man roster:
1
There weren't too many surprise cuts
When looking at this initial roster, there weren’t too many surprise cuts. The roster pretty much unfolded like many expected, with some surprises. The biggest surprises were quarterback P.J. Walker and defensive end Trevis Gipson being cut, although the writing was certainly on the way for both of them.
Walker struggled this summer, where he was passed up on the depth chart by undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent. Meanwhile, Gipson’s release wasn’t too much of a surprise after a report that the Bears were looking to trade him ahead of the roster deadline.
2
Tyson Bagent in line for QB2
With P.J. Walker’s release on Sunday night, it cleared the way for undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent to assume the QB2 role. Bagent impressed this summer, including a strong preseason where he created competition to ultimately best Walker and Nathan Peterman on the depth chart.
While Bagent is currently QB2, given there are just two quarterbacks on the roster, head coach Matt Eberflus stopped short of naming Bagent the backup quarterback for the Week 1 opener. Eberflus indicated the team will explore bringing in a veteran to add to the room.
3
Trevis Gipson, Kindle Vildor don't make the cut
Two members of the 2020 draft class entering contract years didn’t make the cut for the 53-man roster — defensive end Trevis Gipson and cornerback Kindle Vildor. Both of them aren’t a complete shock considering Gipson and Vildor were at the bottom of the depth chart at the beginning of the preseason.
You could make an argument for why Gipson deserved a roster spot over Rasheem Green, who didn’t have the impact Gipson did during the preseason. But it seems like the Bears were prepared to move on, as they attempted to trade Gipson before the roster deadline. Meanwhile, Vildor was a cut everyone saw coming, especially as Chicago shored up cornerback with the additions of rookies Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith.
4
All but two drafted rookies made the team
If we learned anything in general manager Ryan Poles’ first season, it’s that rookies are going to be called upon to play. So it’s no surprise that most of those selections made the initial 53-man roster — with a good number of them expected to be immediate contributors.
The only draft picks not to make the roster were seventh-round picks defensive tackle Travis Bell and safety Kendall Williamson. Bell faced an uphill battle in a loaded defensive line group. Meanwhile, Williamson wasn’t able to prove himself at safety, where last year’s undrafted rookie A.J. Thomas got the final nod.
5
Doug Kramer, A.J. Thomas surprise players on roster
While there weren’t many surprise cuts, there were a couple of players who were surprises on the initial roster. Defensive end Terrell Lewis wasn’t exactly a surprise, as his summer performance made him an easy choice for the roster. But there were some players who were interesting additions to the roster.
With the trade for interior lineman Dan Feeney, second-year center Doug Kramer was a surprise nod on the 53-man roster. Kramer was the third option at center behind Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick. But with them battling injuries, Kramer filled in.
There are depth concerns at safety behind starters Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker. Second-year pro Elijah Hicks is penciled in as that third safety, but last year’s undrafted rookie A.J. was a surprise in that fourth spot. Now, will Kramer and Thomas still be on the roster after waiver claims? That’s to be determined.
6
Special teams played a role in last roster spots
Bears coaches have always made it clear that special teams contributors will help in determining final roster spots at various positions. And that was evident in Tuesday’s initial 53-man roster, where some notable special teams contributors made the cut over other notable players.
Travis Homer got that fourth and final running back spot behind Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson. Homer was billed as a key special teams contributor when the team signed him in free agency (and he was helped by the fact that Trestan Ebner was injured). A.J. Thomas made the most sense at that fourth safety spot, and his contributions on special teams certainly helped his case. Dylan Cole was a surprise at linebacker, considering he’s been sidelined for most of the summer. The Bears must think quite highly of him to give him a roster spot over other standouts, including undrafted rookie Micah Baskerville.
7
Changes are coming
It’s called an initial 53-man roster for a reason. The Bears have top priority in the waiver wire, so general manager Ryan Poles will have his pick of players who were waived as part of final roster cuts. And there are plenty of notable options out there.
Last year, Chicago led the NFL with six waiver claims. Granted, the roster was in worse shape last year. But Poles could address depth concerns along the offensive line, secondary and at punt returner when having his pick of any waived players.
