While this roster will continue to evolve, the Chicago Bears have 53 men ready to take the field in 2026.
There is going to be more movement, as two players that were released have already returned to the roster: James Lynch and Jack Sandborn. 14 players are currently on the practice squad, but there are two spots available left, three if they add an international player.
From what the roster looks like, there are plenty of storylines from each of the positions. Here's a full breakdown of each position and how they stack up in 2026.
Takeaways from Chicago Bears' 53-man roster for 2026 NFL season
Quarterbacks (3)
Rostered: Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
Practice Squad: None
There are no major surprises in this room, as the preseason was dominated by Bagent and how well he played. If anything, he definitely upped his trade value if the Bears wanted some draft picks from him, but he's too valuable to just let go of.
Running Backs (3)
Rostered: D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Roschon Johnson
Practice Squad: Salvon Ahmed
It's too bad Ahmed didn't make the 53-man roster, as he had a great preseason, but the Bears were lucky to have him back unclaimed. Johnson might need to watch himself still, because if he struggles in the regular season, Ahmed might get called up to take his spot.
Wide Receivers (5)
Rostered: Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, Jahdae Walker, Zavion Thomas
Practice Squad: Kaden Davis, Scotty Miller, JP Richardson, Zavier Scott
Many Bears fans pushed for six receivers to be held, with Davis pushing the guy they wanted added. The five selected were the expected choices. While Scott has been a running back his whole NFL career, the Bears listed him as a wide receiver, which is something to watch out for the rest of the season.
Tight Ends (3)
Rostered: Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Sam Roush
Practice Squad: Stephen Carlson
Nothing crazy about the tight end position, but the decision to keep Hayden Large on the initial roster caught people's attention. Large is now on the IR, so that decision was made to make sure they didn't look for a good blocking tight end.
Offensive Line (10)
Rostered: Joe Thuney, Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo, Garrett Bradbury, Logan Jones, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Jordan McFadden, Luke Newman, Theo Benedet
Practice Squad: Caden Barnett, Kyle Hergel, Christian Jones
Braxton Jones might be holding the starting left tackle job for now, but he hasn't played well enough to earn it, so the hope is that Trapilo returns soon. The other Jones is new to the team, and it will be interesting to see if he gets any looks in 2026 or if the team keeps him, even if it's just on the practice squad.
Defensive Line (10)
Rostered: Grady Jarrett, Austin Booker, Montez Sweat, Neville Gallimore, Jamree Kromah, Jayden Loving, James Lynch, Dayo Odeyingbo, Kentavius Street, Jordan van den Berg
Practice Squad: Marcus Davenport
The defensive tackle position has a lot of new faces, with van den Berg being the guy to watch out for as a rookie in 2026. Loving was a surprise addition to the roster, but he played well enough to earn a spot. Kromah might be an interesting player to watch to see whether he gets involved in the defensive end rotation with Sweat, Booker, and Odeyingbo.
Linebackers (5)
Rostered: Devin Bush, T.J. Edwards, Keyshaun Elliott, D'Marco Jackson, Jack Sanborn
Practice Squad: Buddy Johnson, Wayne Matthews III
Despite missing time in training camp, Elliott was still able to make the 53-man roster. Sanborn was originally cut, but he comes back to a linebacker room that desperately needed depth. Watch for Bush and Edwards to be the main linebackers, with Jackson rotating in.
Defensive Backs (10)
Rostered: Jaylon Johnson, Malik Muhammad, Cam Lewis, Xavier Woods, Josh Blackwell, Elijah Hicks, Clark Phillips III, Tyrique Stevenson, Dillon Thieneman, Skyler Thomas
Practice Squad: Marlen Sewell, Deantre Prince
The interesting part of this group will be Clark Phillips III and how he fits into the secondary. Woods and Lewis are battling for the starting safety job, with Muhammad looking to take the nickel corner while Kyler Gordon recovers from his soft-tissue injury. Johnson and Stevenson will play outside corner.
Special Teams (3)
Rostered: Cairo Santos (K), Tory Taylor (P), Beau Gardner (LS)
Practice Squad: None
Read more: Bears' Ben Johnson's comments on Caleb Williams should be more of a warning
Nothing changed with the special teams, as this was the expected outcome after Gardner beat out Luke Elkin for the long snapper job. Santos will be one to watch out for after missing two field goals in the preseason to see if competition comes in at any point in 2026 for him.
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