Building the Bears 53-man roster
Roster cut-downs are still a few weeks away, but it’s something to keep an eye on as you watch the last three preseason games. In my estimation, some former standouts and fan favorites could be on the bubble. We’ll break this roster down several different ways in the weeks leading up to final cut down day on September 5th. I’ve taken the Bears 80 man roster in camp right now and put together my first impression of how the roster breaks down into 4 groups – Locks, Solid, Bubble, and Not Looking So Good.
First, let’s look at the Locks to make the 53-man roster. These are your stars, starters and specialists. These guy are on the team, no doubt in my mind.
Locks (21):
Adams, Anthony
Anderson, Mark
Briggs, Lance
Brown, Alex
Cutler, Jay
Forte, Matt
Garza, Roberto
Gould, Robbie
Harris, Tommie
Hester, Devin
Kreutz, Olin
Mannelly, Patrick
Manning, Danieal
Maynard, Brad
Ogunleye, Adewale
Olsen, Greg
Omiyale, Frank
Pace, Orlando
Tillman, Charles
Urlacher, Brian
Williams, Chris
The next group consists of the guys who are pretty safe to make the final 53. There are some starters and solid backups among this group and I expect them to make the squad.
Solid (19):
Afalava, Al
Beekman, Josh
Bennett, Earl
Bowman, Zackary
Clark, Desmond
Dvoracek, Dusty
Gilbert, Jarron
Graham, Corey
Hanie, Caleb
Harrison, Marcus
Idonije, Israel
Jones, Kevin
McBride, Trumaine
McKie, Jason
Payne, Kevin
Roach, Nick
Shaffer, Kevin
Tinoisamoa, Pisa
Williams, Jamar
So in my estimation, we have 39 guys fighting for the final 13 roster spots. When camp breaks and the Bears had back to Lake Forest, these guys should probably be renting, not buying. It’s worth noting that some of these guys are probably good developmental projects that are practice squad material. And don’t be surprised if some of these guys have mysterious season ending injuries. Like many teams, the Bears try to essentially Red Shirt some guys by placing them on Injured Reserve.
There should be some good competition among these guys and I’ll be following these guys closely on Saturday to see who distinguishes themselves. Let’s break them into two groups.
Bubble Guys (28):
Aromashodu, Devin
Baldwin, Ervin
Balogh, Cody
Basanez, Brett
Buenning, Dan
Bullocks, Josh
Davis, Jason
Davis, Kellen
Davis, Rashied
Freeman, Marcus
Gaines, Michael
Hamilton, Marcus
Hillenmeyer, Hunter
Iglesias, Juaquin
Kinder, Derek
Knox, Johnny
Louis, Lance
Melton, Henry
Moore, D.J.
Peterman, Eric
Peterson, Adrian
Reed, Tyler
Rideau, Brandon
Steltz, Craig
Toeaina, Matt
Turenne, Woodny
Vasher, Nathan
Wolfe, Garrett
Not looking so good (11):
Asiata, Johan
Broussard, John
Burgess, Rudy
Clermond, Joe
Deleston, Dahna
Malast, Kevin
McGee, Richmond
Milan, J. J.
Raiola, Donovan
Rivera, Mike
Ta’ufo’ou, Will
Keep in mind, this is my opinion of how the roster starts to take shape. You’ll notice that there are quite a few familiar names on that list of Bubble guys. So if you’re looking for something to pay attention to Saturday night against the Giants, keep an eye on the guys in these last two groups in particular. They’ll be the guys playing most of the second half. Coaches will be evaluating these guys to see if they can contribute on Special Teams or if they’re versatile enough to fill a couple of different roles on Sundays.
BEAR DOWN!!!
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