Chicago Bears 2019 53-man roster prediction (plus practice squad!)

Here’s another look at the Chicago Bears 53-man roster and who to expect to be on it in September.

Final cut downs aren’t for over three months, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take an early look as to who should be on the Bears 53-man roster. Plus, being that we are big-time geeks here at Bear Goggles On, we went ahead and included the practice squad on this run down.

A couple of weeks ago, BGO co-editor Parker Hurley gave his 53-man roster opinion. You can find that here. These predictions are my own. So you may see some differing spots, that’s simply a differing opinion from another writer, it does not mean that the first 53-man roster prediction has changed.

Ryan Pace is always looking to tweak his roster and find the best way to utilize every drop of talent, so you’ll see some different ideas in this roster projection.

Quaterbacks (2)- Mitch Trubisky, Chase Daniel

No real surprise here. The Bears go with two QBs on the final 53-man roster. Tyler Bray will be sent home to his sofa but he’s allowed to keep his playbook because if anything happens to Trubisky or Daniel, Bray will be on the first flight to Chicago to fill the void.

Running Backs (4)- David Montgomery, Mike Davis, Tarik Cohen, Kerrith Whyte

The first questionable spot on the roster goes to the rookie Whyte who will become a fan favorite in training camp and during preseason games. His shiftiness and quickness will make for some big plays during practice and Matt Nagy won’t want to risk losing him from the practice squad. They keep him on the 53 and hope he can also contribute via special teams. Taquan Mizzell is shown the door after a couple of seasons in Chicago.

Tight Ends (4)- Adam Shaheen, Ben Braunecker, Trey Burton, Javon Wims

No that’s not a typo. With the wide receiver room getting crowded, the Bears start giving Wims snaps as the back up U tight end behind Burton. Wims has the size and strength to be able to spell Burton in those formations. Wims probably won’t be able to lineup tight to the line of scrimmage, but there are plenty of formations that Wims could find success.

That doesn’t mean he won’t also find snaps at wide receiver, but Nagy likes keeping talent and finding a way to make it work for him and that’s exactly what finding snaps at U for Wims would do. Keeping seven wide receivers is a lot, and without this move, the Bears may be forced to lose a talented player.

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Wide Receivers (6)- Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Taylor Gabriel, Cordarrelle Patterson, Riley Ridley, Emmanuel Hall

This is going to be a crowded room with plenty of competition. Robinson, Miller, Gabriel Patterson and Ridley are basically all locks, but that means the final wide receiver slot on the team will be pretty heated.

The move of Wims to tight end opens up the door for UDFA Emmanuel Hall. Hall is a speed burner out of Missouri that was projected to go much higher in the draft but fell because of coachability concerns. If Hall flashes some skills in the preseason, he won’t be able to be stashed on the practice squad and the Bears will be forced to keep him on the 53-man roster.

Marvin Hall was brought aboard to compete for a spot here and although he would be a benefit to the special teams units, there simply isn’t enough room to justify a roster spot for him. Fan favorite Tanner Gentry also fails to make it to the regular season.

Offensive Line (9)- Charles Leno, Cody Whitehair, James Daniels, Kyle Long, Bobby Massie, Bradley Sowell, Rashaad Coward, Ted Larsen, Alex Bars

Almost the exact same unit returns from last season with the switch of Eric Kush/Bryan Witzmann is out and Ted Larsen is in as well as UDFA Alex Bars.

Expect Coward to push harder for time at swing tackle as well as perhaps getting some work on the interior at guard. Larsen is a versatile depth piece that can sub at all three interior positions. Sowell is a safe swing tackle. Alex Bars makes the 53-man roster as a Harry Hiestand favorite. If Bars develops well, he could find himself starting for Chicago in 2020.

Special Teams (3)- LS Patrick Scales, P Pat O’Donnell, K Eddy Pineiro

Scales and O’Donnell are no surprise after being inked to fresh contracts. The Bears are still claiming that their kicking competition is open, but make no mistake about it, Pineiro is going to cruise to this roster battle victory.

Pineiro has the best leg of the three kickers and has already shown that he’s accurate. Pineiro did have a groin injury last year and being that he is unproven, perhaps the Bears stash a kicker on the practice squad, but if Pineiro doesn’t win this competition, I wouldn’t expect Elliott Fry or Chris Blewitt to win it either. It most likely means the Bears went with a veteran.

Defensive Line (6)- Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols, Jonathan Bullard, Roy Robertson-Harris, Nick Williams

This unit doesn’t have too many surprises. Hicks, Goldman and Nichols are obvious spots. RRH has been rumbled to play some edge this year, but he should still be expected to put a hand in the dirt. Don’t be shocked if the Bears shop Bullard, but if they don’t find a taker, expect Bullard to have a sub role on the defensive line. This is the last year of his rookie contract and thus, this will be the last year Bullard is on the Bears.

Nick Williams makes the team as the only true backup nose on the roster. He will make the 53 but he will be inactive frequently on game days.

Inside Linebackers (4)- Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Kevin Pierre-Louis

Another unit with a mild surprise. Nick Kwiatkoski is not on the final 53-man roster. Smith and Trevathan are your starters, and Iggy continues to develop at ILB and contribute on special teams. Kwiatkoski is traded in late August/early September for a conditional seventh round pick.

Kwiatkoski is poor in coverage and with only one year left on his contract, he isn’t worth keeping. Pierre-Louis proves to be competent as a sub at ILB and will be able to contribute significantly on special teams.

Outside Linebackers (5)- Khalil Mack, Leonard Floyd, Aaron Lynch, Isaiah Irving, Josh Woods

The top 4 spots here are pretty well set. The last edge position will be a training camp battle between Josh Woods and Kylie Fitts. Fitts didn’t show hardly anything during his rookie season and the Bears hope that after a year of seasoning, he’s improved.

Bottom line, Fitts won’t show the type of improvement that Woods shows and Woods will beat out Fitts for a spot on the 53-man roster. Fitts won’t get much buzz from anyone else around the league and he will safely slide over to the practice squad.

Safety (4)- Eddie Jackson, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Deon Bush, DeAndre Houston-Carson

Eddie and Ha Ha are going to be patrolling the Bears’ secondary. Deon Bush will be the Bears third safety. If Jackson is out, Clinton-Dix will be headed to FS and Bush will line up at the more traditional strong safety spot. If HCD is out, Bush slides in the same role. DHC makes the roster again primarily to be used on special teams.

Cornerbacks (6)- Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara, Buster Skrine, Kevin Toliver, Sherrick McManis, Duke Shelley

Fuller, Amukamara, Skrine and McManis are all locks. There’s no reason that Shelley shouldn’t make this team either. Toliver will be pushed for a roster spot from guys like Michael Joseph. There’s also a chance that the Bears could choose to keep 7 CBs. If they do, you can expect Alex Bars to slide to the practice squad, unless a team snags him off initial cuts.

Next. 5 interesting stats about K Eddy Pineiro. dark

Practice Squad (10)- RB Ryan Nall, TE Dax Raymond, C Sam Mustipher, DL Abdullah Anderson, OLB Mathieu Betts, OLB Chuck Harris, OLB Kylie Fitts, DB Jonathan Mincy, DB Michael Joseph, DB John Franklin

The practice squad will be the most talented unit the Bears have had with this group in sometime. Nall gets another year of seasoning as a potential short-yardage back or perhaps working in at fullback. Raymond will be a risk on the practice squad but the Bears luck out and are able to retain him.

Mustipher is a solid college player that Hiestand will have to continue is work with to try and turn him into a legitimate pro. . On defense, Chuck Harris has the potential to surprise some people this year and could make the 53. Keeping Betts, Harris and Fitts on the practice squad may seem like edge overkill, but with Lynch a free agent at the end of the year and Floyd’s days in Chicago may be numbered, the Bears need to have as many edge players as they can developing in the hopper.

Injured Reserve (1)- DB Stephen Denmark

Every year, some sort of developmental rookie ends up getting put on IR with some sort of mystery ailment. My guess this year is Denmark. Denmark is a seventh round pick who can thump.

Denmark is a developmental pick who the Bears need to see exactly what they have. Could he move to safety? Will he stay at cornerback? Either way, the Bears will buy an extra year with Denmark by stashing him on IR for this season.

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