After a 27-9 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 of the preseason, the Chicago Bears are facing even tougher decisions with the roster.
While there were some nice performances, the Bears definitely took a step back with how they looked. The defense leaves a lot to be desired on the backend, while the offense needs to finish drives.
With so much uncertainty on the roster now, the Bears are left to work with the players they have and the over-40 cuts they make. Here's a look at the latest 53-man roster projection after their loss to the Bengals.
Chicago Bears' 53-man roster projection after preseason loss to Bengals
QB - Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
This should remain untouched the whole preseason unless Bagent's injury is worse than people expect. Miller Moss played better against the Bengals, but these three are secure in their roster spots.
RB - D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Roschon Johnson, Salvon Ahmed
The running back position is the biggest change this week, with the top four running backs now making the team. Monangai's injury gives an opening for Ahmed and Johnson to battle it out for the RB3 job. If Monangai misses the start of the season with his knee injury, Ahmed and Johnson will have to stay after both showed strong starts and missed preseason performances.
WR - Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, Zavion Thomas, Jahdae Walker
At wide receiver, it still feels like these are the five that are locks, and that's it. Kaden Davis has been great in training camp, but he had a very quiet preseason game against the Bengals. Nothing will change at wide receiver unless Davis makes some noise in the final preseason game.
TE - Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Sam Roush
This won't change for the Bears either, since these are the three tight ends. Roush showed off his hands against the Bengals with two good catches. Outside of that, nothing to see here.
OL - Ozzy Trapilo, Joe Thuney, Garrett Bradbury, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Logan Jones, Luke Newman, Theo Benedet, Jordan McFadden
For the most part, the offensive line should be secure, but the backups are still kind of a mystery. Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills Jr. are the biggest question marks as to whether they make the team, but both seem to be on the edge of playing their way off the roster at the moment.
DE - Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy, Jamree Kromah, Shemar Turner
Hardy is having a really nice preseason, but Kromah was a bit of a disappointment against the Bengals after his two-sack performance against the Cleveland Browns. This could end up still being the edge rusher room, but Kromah needs to step up in this final preseason matchup.
DT - Gervon Dexter Sr., Grady Jarrett, Neville Gallimore, Jordan van den Berg
James Lynch is going to be the odd man out for the moment since the running backs might need four on the roster. Van den Berg is playing his way into the starting lineup in the rotation, though, so the Bears might be good at tackle for the moment.
LB - T.J. Edwards, Devin Bush, D'Marco Jackson, Ruben Hyppolite II, Jack Sanborn
The Bears' linebackers could end up being the guys in place after Nephi Sewell's injury. Sanborn is on the borderline of the roster bubble, so he's a name to keep an eye on.
CB - Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Jones, Malik Muhammad, Josh Blackwell
The mystery of the cornerback position continues with more questions now about Stevenson's health and when he will be back. Chicago's cornerback position is depleted, so more players could make the team if Stevenson and Gordon's injuries continue to linger.
S - Dillon Thieneman, Cam Lewis, Xavier Woods, Skyler Thomas
Beanie Bishop had a relatively quiet game, so Thomas is going to get the upper hand at the moment. The reality is that the safety position is far from solidified, and no one knows who will make it.
Read more: Bears fans might be ready to open the floodgates on Cairo Santos problem
Special Teams - Cairo Santos (K), Tory Taylor (P), Beau Gardner (LS)
Nothing should change with the special teams, as these are the guys. After two misses by Santos, though, he might see competition coming in if he doesn't clean it up.
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