Tuesday, the Chicago Bears made it down to the 85-man roster limit set by the league. In just a few more days, the Bears will have to cut it down another five. But, the big roster cuts happen when they have to get the team down to the final 53-man on August 31st.
A few of the players cut in the past few days to get down to 85 included defensive back Michael Joseph, wide receiver Justin Hardy, outside linebacker Ledarius Mack, offensive lineman Gage Cervenka, wide receiver Jester Weah and defensive back Dionte Ruffin.
The other corresponding moves included moving up nose tackle Eddie Goldman from the reserve list as well as signing 39-year-old perennial Pro Bowl tackle Jason Peters — two very significant moves for the current state of the Bears, especially regarding the offensive line.
Going forward, the Bears will have some tougher decisions thanks in part to a few guys playing very well.
The Chicago Bears have some tough roster cuts ahead
For the most part, we know who is going to make this roster as a starter. The majority of positions are locked down other than, say, slot cornerback. Aside from that position, the spots up for grabs are simply for depth.
Over the course of camp, though, a few players have come along and played very well, making those decisions on depth pieces so much tougher.
A few of these players have performed extremely well in camp, going beyond any and every expectation. Some, meanwhile, played great on Saturday against the Miami Dolphins, putting live game film out there for Bears coaches to see. These guys are going to make it hard on Matt Nagy and his staff, starting with a journeyman wide receiver forming a special bond.