Now that the dust has settled from the NFL draft there will be minimal moves that affect the 53-man roster for the Chicago Bears moving forward. There will be camp competitions, but the majority of shakeups on the depth chart will come in-house. With that in mind, let’s project ahead to August and guess what the 53-man roster is going to look like for the Bears.
Quarterback (3): Andy Dalton, Nick Foles, Justin Fields
This seems pretty cut and dry. Fans are going to want to get rid of Nick Foles, but he may serve more value to Justin Fields than cutting him, and it could be hard to get a pick.
Running back (4): David Montgomery, Damien Williams, Tarik Cohen, Khalil Herbert
This could be set by Herbert winning the starting kick returner job. Still, he brings more burst than Ryan Nall or Artavis Pierce, who the Chicago Bears have relied on too much recently.
Wide Receiver (5): Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, Anthony Miller, Javon Wims, Dazz Newsome
Riley Ridley could be the big loser from the Dazz Newsome draft pick. He does not play special teams while Wims and Newsome do. Of course, this projection has Anthony Miller on the roster. While he has been dangled out, it is hard to say that he will be gone yet.
Tight End (4): Cole Kmet, Jimmy Graham, JP Holtz, Jesper Horsted
These four were on the roster last year. It is surprising that Graham is back, but the other three are expected to be around.
Offensive Line (9): Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, Sam Mustipher, James Daniels, Germain Ifedi, Elijah Wilkinson, Larry Borom, Alex Bars, Arlington Hambright
With the Charles Leno release, the following nine have to have a great shot at making the roster. Lachavious Simmons still has practice squad eligibility. The rest should not make the roster as these 10 have become the main candidates.
Defensive Line (6): Akiem Hicks, Bilal Nichols, Eddie Goldman, Mario Edwards, Angelo Blackson, Khyiris Tonga
The Chicago Bears lost John Jenkins as their backup nose tackle, and Tonga slides right in. Beyond that, he provides a rare special team presence that will help him make the team.
Edge Rusher (5): Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Jeremiah Attachou, Trevis Gipson, James Vaughters
The Bears traded a future pick for Trevis Gipson, who is going to get more chances this season if he can beat out Vaughters. Still, both should round out the depth chart.
Linebacker (4): Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, Christian Jones, Joel Iyiegbuniwe
The signing of Christian Jones locked him into LB3. The question is will Iggy be the fourth linebacker, or will they go back to Josh Woods? It does not look like both will make it.
Cornerback (5): Desmond Trufant, Jaylon Johnson, Duke Shelley, Kindle Vildor, Thomas Graham
The big question here is Artie Burns, and Jalen Tabor, who could beat out the rookie or provide as a sixth corner. However, neither provides on special teams, and Graham now has a longer contract.
Safety (5): Tashaun Gipson, Eddie Jackson, Deon Bush, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Jordan Lucas
The top four are pretty locked in. Lucas opted out last year, so you would think they are still interested in him. Although, Marqui Christian could make the roster as well.
Specialists (3): Pat O Donnell, Cairo Santos, Patrick Scales
There is no competition here. Thank goodness this will be the last time I write about kickers until the next 53-man.