The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Buffalo Bills, 24-21, in their final preseason game, where some players made a strong push for roster spots ahead of the final round of cuts.
There were a number of standout performers during Saturday’s preseason finale, but there are also a number of tough cuts on the way as general manager Ryan Poles has to trim the roster from 87 to 53 players by Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT.
Following the third preseason game, here are my final predictions for the Bears’ 53-man roster:
Quarterback (3)
Tyson Bagent brought the pressure on P.J. Walker for the QB2 role, and he’s certainly earned the job — or, at the very least, a roster spot. The Bears could keep Justin Fields and Bagent. Or, for insurance, they could also keep Walker. If Chicago elects to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, that requires sacrificing a roster spot at another position, which is reflected in my projections.
QB Justin Fields
Age: 24
Experience: 3rd season
2023 cap hit: $5.14 million
QB P.J. Walker
Age: 28
Experience: 4th season
2023 cap hit: $1.66 million
QB Tyson Bagent
Age: 23
Experience: 1st season
2023 cap hit: $758,333
Running back (4)
Khalil Herbert hasn’t done anything to lose the lead back job, but rookie Roschon Johnson looks to be coming for it. While there was speculation that D’Onta Foreman could be a surprise cut, it makes the most sense for Foreman to remain on the roster to help anchor this three-headed monster at running back. Given Trestan Ebner has been sidelined by injury, Travis Homer gets the final spot.
RB Khalil Herbert
Age: 25
Experience: 3rd season
2023 cap hit: $972,677
RB Roschon Johnson
Age: 22
Experience: 1st season
2023 cap hit: $942,172
RB D'Onta Foreman
Age: 27
Experience: 6th season
2023 cap hit: $2 million
RB Travis Homer
Age: 24
Experience: 5th season
2023 cap hit: $1.77 million
Fullback (1)
There’s no question that Khari Blasingame is the Bears’ lead blocker heading into the season. No matter how impressive undrafted rookie Robert Burns could look.
FB Khari Blasingame
Age: 27
Experience: 5th season
2023 cap hit: $2 million
Wide receiver (6)
At this point, the top four wide receivers are set with DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool and rookie Tyler Scott. With Dante Pettis landing on injured reserve, Equanimeous St. Brown and Velus Jones Jr. feel like safe bets to fill those final two spots.
WR DJ Moore
Age: 26
Experience: 6th season
2023 cap hit: $20.16 million
WR Darnell Mooney
Age: 25
Experience: 4th season
2023 cap hit: $3.06 million
WR Chase Claypool
Age: 25
Experience: 4th season
2023 cap hit: $2.99 million
WR Tyler Scott
Age: 21
Experience: 1st season
2023 cap hit: $915,863
WR Equanimeous St. Brown
Age: 26
Experience: 5th season
2023 cap hit: $1.16 million
WR Velus Jones Jr.
Age: 26
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $1.22 million
Tight end (3)
The top three tight ends are set with Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis, who give the Bears a potent combination of blocking and pass catchers. This is the best Chicago’s tight end group has been in years.
TE Cole Kmet
Age: 24
Experience: 4th season
2023 cap hit: $7.36 million
TE Robert Tonyan
Age: 29
Experience: 6th season
2023 cap hit: $2.65 million
TE Marcedes Lewis
Age: 39
Experience: 18th season
2023 cap hit: $2 million
Offensive line (9)
The starting offensive line is set with Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins (when healthy), Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis and rookie Darnell Wright. With the way training camp and the preseason have gone, the reserves appear all but set with Lucas Patrick, Ja’Tyre Carter, Larry Borom and Alex Leatherwood. Especially after Doug Kramer’s recent hand injury.
OL Braxton Jones
Age: 24
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $944,888
OL Teven Jenkins
Age: 25
Experience: 3rd season
2023 cap hit: $2.28 million
OL Cody Whitehair
Age: 31
Experience: 8th season
2023 cap hit: $14.1 million
OL Nate Davis
Age: 26
Experience: 5th season
2023 cap hit: $6.92 million
OL Darnell Wright
Age: 21
Experience: 1st season
2023 cap hit: $3.81 million
OL Lucas Patrick
Age: 30
Experience: 7th season
2023 cap hit: $5.38 million
OL Ja'Tyre Carter
Age: 24
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $897,328
OL Larry Borom
Age: 24
Experience: 3rd season
2023 cap hit: $1.02 million
OL Alex Leatherwood
Age: 24
Experience: 3rd season
2023 cap hit: $1.96 million
Defensive line (9)
This is where things will get interesting during final roster cutdowns. If the Bears opt to keep nine defensive linemen — and there are several with versatility down the line — there’s likely to be an odd man out at defensive end. With Trevis Gipson requesting a trade, it appears that he’s set to be traded or waived at roster cuts. Which means Terrell Lewis is a safe bet to make the roster, alongside reserves Rasheem Green and Dominque Robinson. At defensive tackle, the top four are set with Justin Jones, Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens.
DL Yannick Ngakoue
Age: 28
Experience: 9th season
2023 cap hit: $10.44 million
DL DeMarcus Walker
Age: 28
Experience: 7th season
2023 cap hit: $6.41 million
DL Dominique Robinson
Age: 25
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $938,289
DL Rasheem Green
Age: 26
Experience: 6th season
2023 cap hit: $2.44 million
DL Terrell Lewis
Age: 24
Experience: 4th season
2023 cap hit: $1.01 million
DL Justin Jones
Age: 26
Experience: 6th season
2023 cap hit: $7.4 million
DL Andrew Billings
Age: 28
Experience: 6th season
2023 cap hit: $2.69 million
DL Gervon Dexter Sr.
Age: 21
Experience: 1st season
2023 cap hit: $1.22 million
DL Zacch Pickens
Age: 23
Experience: 1st season
2023 cap hit: $1.04 million
Linebacker (5)
The Bears overhauled the linebacker room this offseason, and their top four appear all but set with Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn and rookie Noah Sewell. Which leaves us with one more spot, given the extra quarterback roster spot. There are some interesting names on the roster, including veterans Mykal Walker and Dylan Cole. But undrafted rookie Micah Baskerville has made the most of his opportunities this summer, and he’s a name to watch.
LB Tremaine Edmunds
Age: 25
Experience: 6th season
2023 cap hit: $14.68 million
LB T.J. Edwards
Age: 26
Experience: 5th season
2023 cap hit: $5 million
LB Jack Sanborn
Age: 23
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $872,500
LB Noah Sewell
Age: 21
Experience: 1st season
2023 cap hit: $831,237
LB Micah Baskerville
Age: 23
Experience: 1st season
2023 cap hit: $753,333
Cornerback (6)
Chicago has its top four cornerbacks set with veterans Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, as well as rookies Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith, currently battling for a starting job. Josh Blackwell secures a spot here given his experience as a nickel cornerback. Meanwhile, Kindle Vildor’s stock has fallen and Jaylon Jones gets my final spot.
CB Jaylon Johnson
Age: 24
Experience: 4th season
2023 cap hit: $3.55 million
CB Kyler Gordon
Age: 23
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $1.97 million
CB Tyrique Stevenson
Age: 23
Experience: 1st season
2023 cap hit: $1.17 million
CB Terell Smith
Age: 24
Experience: 1st season
2023 cap hit: $818,971
CB Josh Blackwell
Age: 24
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $870,000
CB Jaylon Jones
Age: 25
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $870,833
Safety (4)
The duo of Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker are back this season, giving the Bears one of the best safety pairings in the NFL. Elijah Hicks is stepping into that DeAndre Houston-Carson role, where he’ll serve as a key reserve and special teams contributor. As for that fourth and final spot, A.J. Thomas has been making plays this summer, and he gets the nod.
S Eddie Jackson
Age: 29
Experience: 7th season
2023 cap hit: $17.09 million
S Jaquan Brisker
Age: 24
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $1.67 million
S Elijah Hicks
Age: 23
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $889,252
S A.J. Thomas
Age: 23
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $870,000
Special teams (3)
Undrafted rookie Andre Szmyt has already been waived, so there’s no kicker competition with Cairo Santos. Santos returns with Trenton Gill and Patrick Scales to headline the specialists group.
K Cairo Santos
Age: 31
Experience: 10th season
2023 cap hit: $4.5 million
P Trenton Gill
Age: 24
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $889,252
LS Patrick Scales
Age: 35
Experience: 9th season
2023 cap hit: $1.09 million
