The Chicago Bears are still over a month away from participating in training camp to kick off the 2026 season.
There will be plenty of intrigue as the Bears look to take the next level in their progression of being a potential Super Bowl contender. Position battles are all over the place on the roster, from starters to the third and fourth stringers.
It will be tough for Bears head coach Ben Johnson to decide who will make the 53-man roster by the end of August. Here's a look at who will make the cut.
Updated 2026 Chicago Bears Projected 53-Man Roster
QB - Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
No surprises with the quarterbacks, as these should be the three that make it. Miller Moss is more likely to be a practice squad member and won't be able to push the veterans at the position hard.
RB - D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Brittain Brown
Roschon Johnson does not make the cut, as Brown has just made more of an impact on this team in the past season. Johnson had injury issues last year, and guys like Brown, Coleman Bennett, and Salvon Ahmed will make the Bears realize they need to make some changes at RB3.
WR - Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, Jahdae Walker, Zavion Thomas
Scotty Miller could be the one receiver outside of this list who could make the 53-man roster. It feels as though the Bears will roll with these five and call it a day.
TE - Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Sam Roush
Similar to the quarterbacks, the tight end position felt decided the moment that Roush was selected in the NFL Draft. Maybe Stephen Carlson could push for a fourth tight end to be added, but it seems very unlikely.
OL - Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo, Joe Thuney, Garrett Bradbury, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Logan Jones, Jordan McFadden, Luke Newman, Theo Benedet
Depth on the offensive line is going to be heavy with Trapilo's injury, so Jedrick Wills Jr. could initially make the roster if Trapilo is on IR to start the season. Otherwise, these are the 10 linemen who should be on the roster at the beginning of the season.
DE - Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy, Shemar Turner
Hardy is a good special teams player, which is why he was brought back in the first place. Turner might be on IR depending on how he progresses during the summer with his ACL injury. If Turner can't go, Jeremiah Martin would most likely be the next man in line.
DT - Gervon Dexter, Grady Jarrett, Neville Gallimore, James Lynch, Kentavius Street, Jordan van den Berg
Berg barely makes the roster as he has too much potential as a sixth-round pick to leave off the roster. There is a backlog of veterans behind Dexter and Jarrett who will battle for playing time.
Linebacker - T.J. Edwards, Devin Bush, D'Marco Jackson, Noah Sewell, Jack Sanborn
Sanborn sneaks onto the team because of what he can do on special teams, leaving Bears 2025 draft pick Ruben Hyppolite II and 2026 draft pick Keyshaun Elliott off the roster...for now. Hyppolite and Elliott will get on the practice squad and could still see the field in 2026.
CB - Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Malik Muhammad, Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones
Jones will have to fend off Terell Smith for the final cornerback spot. Blackwell gets on the team since he is one of the top-10 special teams aces in the NFL right now and is too valuable a piece to let go of.
Safety - Coby Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Cam Lewis, Elijah Hicks
Hicks and Gervarrius Owens will have a training camp battle for that final spot at safety, but Hicks was seen taking first-team reps early in OTAs, so it feels that he has the advantage. Lewis could be playing some nickel corner if Gordon's injury is serious enough that he can't practice in training camp.
Read more: Bears losing out on Cameron Jordan stings even worse now
Special Teams - Cairo Santos (Kicker), Tory Taylor (Punter), Luke Elkin (Long Snapper)
The long snapper battle between Elkin and Beau Gardner is a fascinating one that no one is talking about enough. It will be a close battle, but Elkin's experience gives him the advantage.
Add us as a preferred source on Google