Instant reaction to Chicago Bears initial 53-man roster

The Chicago Bears set their initial 53-man roster. Before getting too deep into the minutiae it is worth remembering that that the roster is going to change significantly in the coming days as the IR, practice squad, and waiver claims start to take over.

Either way, what does the initial roster look like?

Quarterback (2): Justin Fields, Trevor Siemian

Cut – Nathan Peterman

This is no surprise at all.

Running back (4): David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, Trestan Ebner, Khari Blassingame

Waived – De’Montre Tuggle

Cut – Darrynton Evans

Darrynton Evans was on the border for most training camp. The release of Evans should signal that Ebner is healthy again.

Tight end (3): Cole Kmet, Ryan Griffin, Jake Tonges

Waived – Chase Allen

Cut – James O’Shaugnessy

Tonges earned his role based on versatility between fullback and tight end, but also special teams.

Wide receiver (7): Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, Velus Jones, Equanimeous St. Brown, Dante Pettis, N’Keal Harry, Tajae Sharpe

Waived – Kevin Shaa

Waived – Chris Finke

Waived – Isaiah Coulter

Cut – Nsimba Webster

The team kept Tajae Sharpe over Darrynton Evans when you break it all down. He will be the sixth wide receiver and N’Keal Harry will go to IR, opening a roster spot somewhere.

Offensive line (9): Braxton Jones, Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, Riley Reiff, Larry Borom, Teven Jenkins, Sam Mustipher, Zach Thomas, Ja’Tyre Carter

Waived  – Corey Dublin

Waived – Jean Delance

Cut- Michael Schofield

Waived – Lachavious Simmons

The Chicago Bears gave Simmons a chance in the final preseason as he played over Thomas, but he could not win the job. Mustipher was a lock for weeks, but most fans did not want to admit it. Carter was a bit of a surprise, but Schofield showed nothing to make a claim to the roster.

Defensive line (4): Justin Jones, Angelo Blackson, Khyiris Tonga, Mike Pennel

Cut- Trevon Coley

Waived – Micah Dew-Treadway

Pennel was running behind Coley in the final preseason game, but his experience surely outweighed MDT, who will head to the PS.

Edge (4): Robert Quinn, Trevis Gipson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Dominique Robinson

Cut – Mario Edwards

Waived – Sam Kamara

Waived – Charles Snowden

With Mario Edwards cut there was a chance that Sam Kamara could have made the roster, but the team went with just four. They only eight men up front, and may be bringing back Coley or Edwards after Harry heads to the IR.

Linebacker (6): Roquan Smith, Nicholas Morrow, Matt Adams, Joe Thomas, Jack Sanborn, Caleb Johnson

Waived – Demarquis Gates

Caleb Johnson making it over Demarquis Gates is a mild surprise, but you could argue that Johnson is better on special teams, and that he would have been more likely to get claimed because of his NFL experience.

Cornerback (6): Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Kindle Vildor, Lamar Jackson, Duke Shelley, Jaylon Jones

Cut – Greg Stroman

Cut – Davontae Harris

IR – Tavon Young

Waived – Thomas Graham

Jaylon Jones making over the veterans is surprising, but Graham and Young were banged up for most of camp. Jones and Shelley appear to add depth in the slot, which Graham and Young were supposed to provide.

Safety (5): Jaquan Brisker, Eddie Jackson, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Dane Cruikshank, Elijah Hicks

Waived- Jon Alexander

Waived – AJ Thomas

This went as expected.

ST (3): Cairo Santos, Trenton Gil, Patrick Scales

These players are locked into the Chicago Bears roster.