The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of training camp, which officially begins Wednesday.
It’s been a busy offseason for the Bears, as they’ve undergone a roster overhaul at a number of position of needs. Whether it was trading the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft for picks and wide receiver DJ Moore or signing impact players like Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Nate Davis in free agency, the roster has improved at nearly every position this offseason.
But with training camp getting underway, there will be plenty of roster battles, whether it’s for starting jobs or roster spots.
With that in mind, here’s our early 53-man roster projection as the Bears kick off training camp:
Quarterback
- Roster (2): Justin Fields, P.J. Walker
- Cut(s): Tyson Bagent, Nathan Peterman
Fields is entering a pivotal third season with the Bears, where the expectation is he takes a step forward in the passing game. The team signed Walker to serve as Fields’ backup this offseason.
Running back (5)
- Roster (4): Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer
- Cut(s): Trestan Ebner
The Bears overhauled the running back room after David Montgomery exited in free agency. They signed Foreman and Homer in free agency and drafted Johnson in the fourth round, and Johnson should challenge for reps with Herbert and Foreman.
Fullback
- Roster (1): Khari Blasingame
- Cut(s): Robert Burns
The Bears re-signed their lead blocker to a two-year deal this offseason, as Blasingame returns to last season’s top-ranked run game.
Wide receiver
- Roster (6): DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Tyler Scott, Equanimeous St. Brown, Velus Jones Jr.
- Cut(s): Dante Pettis, Daurice Fountain, Nsimba Webster, Joe Reed, Aron Cruickshank, Thyrick Pitts
The Bears upgraded their wide receiver group with the addition of Moore, who was part of the trade for the No. 1 pick with the Panthers. Now, Chicago’s top wideouts include Moore, Mooney and Claypool. In the fourth round of the draft, they selected Scott, a speedster who should be a vertical threat. Jones and St. Brown edge out Dante Pettis for the final two roster spots.
Tight end
- Roster (3): Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan, Jake Tonges
- Cut(s): Chase Allen, Stephen Carlson
Kmet is coming off a career year with the Bears, where he was a big part of the passing game. Chicago signed Tonyan to a one-year deal in free agency, where he’ll serve as a nice complement to Kmet. Tonyan is more of a receiver than a blocker, and he should factor into the red zone approach. Tonges gets the final spot as a solid blocker with fullback versatility.
Offensive line
- Roster (9): Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Lucas Patrick, Larry Borom, Alex Leatherwood, Ja’Tyre Carter
- Cut(s): Doug Kramer, Dieter Eiselen, Kellen Diesch, Robert Haskins, Gabriel Houy, Josh Lugg, Roy Mbaeteka, Lorenz Metz
The starting offensive line is all but set, where Jones and Wright will anchor the edge with Jenkins and Davis shoring up the interior alongside Whitehair at center. Patrick and Borom are experienced players who will serve as key depth, along with Leatherwood and Carter.
Defensive line
- Roster (9): Justin Jones, Andrew Billings, DeMarcus Walker, Trevis Gipson, Dominique Robinson, Rasheem Green, Gervon Dexter Sr., Zacch Pickens, Travis Bell
- Cut(s): Andrew Brown, Jalyn Holmes, Donovan Jeter, Jalen Harris, Terrell Lewis, D’Anthony Jones
The defensive line remains the team’s biggest concern, but there’s more dependability along the interior, where Jones and Billings are expected to start. Dexter and Pickens will be key rotational pieces, and Bell finds a way on the roster. Off the edge, Walker and Gipson are the headliners (unless the team signs a veteran this summer) with Robinson and Green serving as rotational guys.
Linebacker
- Roster (6): Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Noah Sewell, Dylan Cole, DeMarquis Gates
- Cut(s): Buddy Johnson, Micah Baskerville, Kuony Deng
The Bears overhauled the linebacker position and free agency, and the team’s starting linebackers are set with Edwards and Edmunds. Sanborn, rookie Sewell and Cole will compete for the SAM role. Cole and Gates make the cut for their special teams contributions.
Cornerback
- Roster (6): Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Kindle Vildor, Terell Smith, Jaylon Jones
- Cut(s): Josh Blackwell, Michael Ojemudia, Greg Stroman Jr.
The Bears found a quality third cornerback in Stevenson, who they traded up for in the second round of the draft. He’s expected to start opposite Johnson on the outside while Gordon plays exclusively in the slot. Vildor, rookie Smith and Jones get the nod as reserves, although Blackwell could certainly be in play given his experience in the slot.
Safety
- Roster (4): Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks, Kendall Williamson
- Cut(s): Adrian Colbert, A.J. Thomas, Macon Clark, Bralen Trahan
There’s no doubt that Jackson and Brisker will lead a strong safety group for Chicago. With the departure of DeAndre Houston-Carson, that means an increased role for Hicks in his second season. The Bears also drafted Williamson late in the seventh round, who should land that final spot with his special teams ability.
Specialists
- Roster (3): Cairo Santos, Trenton Gill, Patrick Scales
- Cut(s): Andre Szmyt
The Bears re-signed Scales to a one-year deal to keep their special teams trio in tact heading into 2023. Chicago has consistency with their core specialists in Santos, Gill and Scales, who are heading into their second year together. While rookie Andre Szmyt will bring competition at kicker, Santos gets the edge.
