The Chicago Bears opened up preseason play against the Miami Dolphins with a 24-24 tie as the team inches closer to making their cuts of the roster.
There were plenty of standout performances with guys who might have sealed their spot on the roster, including Austin Booker, Noah Sewell, and Nahshon Wright. The ones that are on the bubble still need to do some work to move off of it and onto the 53-man roster.
How does the roster prediction for the Bears look now after getting one preseason game under their belts?
Chicago Bears 53-man roster prediction after first week of 2025 preseason
Quarterback (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
Bagent holds strong as the backup to Williams for now, but Keenum outplayed him against the Dolphins. Watch out for Keenum to make a run at the second-string job.
Running Back (4): D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Kyle Monangai, Ian Wheeler
Wheeler showed some lovely moments, especially his great touchdown run that was called back due to a penalty. Travis Homer did not nearly get enough touches in the
Wide Receiver (5): DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Olamide Zaccheaus, Luther Burden III, Devin Duvernay
Jahdae Walker and Maurice Alexander each had a touchdown, but Walker finished as the team's leader in receiving yards (41) against Miami. They might be able to convince the Bears' coaching staff to hold on to six receivers, but it will be tough to beat out Duvernay when he is the team's primary returner.
Tight End (3): Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, Stephen Carlson
Durham Smythe is also in the running for the third-string job, but Carlson had the better day against Miami, so he's got the edge for the moment.
Offensive Line (10): Ozzy Trapilo, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Kiran Amegadjie, Ryan Bates, Luke Newman, Theo Benedet
No major changes from the last 53-man prediction with Trapilo looking to be more in line as the starting left tackle than Jones. Everyone else should hold strong to where they are predicted to be.
Defensive Line (9): Montez Sweat, Grady Jarrett, Andrew Billings, Dayo Odeyingbo, Gervon Dexter, Austin Booker, Shemar Turner, Zacch Pickens, Daniel Hardy
It might be the best unit of the day against the Dolphins. Booker dominated the day with his three sacks. Pickens had a nice sack in the game as well. Dominique Robinson might also be in the conversation to make the 53-man roster after his performance.
Linebacker (5): T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Ruben Hyppolite II, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Noah Sewell
Sewell and Hyppolite each had six tackles in the game and should be well in line to make the roster. It's only a matter of figuring out which one will be the third starting linebacker with Edwards and Edmunds.
Cornerback (7): Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Terell Smith, Nahshon Wright, Josh Blackwell, Zah Frazier
Wright is emerging as someone the Bears might need to keep around. Blackwell had a mixed game against Miami, so he might be more on the hot seat over the next two games.
Safety (4): Kevin Byard III, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks, Jonathan Owens
Major Burns will no longer make the roster from the last prediction due to how well Wright has been playing.
Read more: Kyle Monangai's performance against Dolphins reveals potential role with Bears
Special Teams (3): Cairo Santos, Torey Taylor, Scott Daily
All three special teams specialists had great days against the Dolphins, so don't expect too much change anytime soon.