After the Chicago Bears' final preseason game against the Kanas City Chiefs on Thursday, the focus will be on the players the team cuts as it alters its 53-man roster ahead of the start of the regular season.
In the game against the Chiefs, there are three position groups that fans will want to pay attention to.
- Edge Rusher
The past few weeks have started to provide us with some clarity at the edge rusher position. However, the team will need the final game to resolve things. We knew Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker appeared to be set as the starting defensive ends on the line.
We have seen Austin Booker ascend to the third rusher spot and it is unlikely he gives that up. However, the fourth rusher, and possibly the final edge spot on the roster will go to one of a few players.
Jacob Martin is the likely candidate, but he has not been healthy all offseason, which hinders his chances of being on the initial 53-man. That has opened the door for Dominique Robinson, but he seems afraid to walk through it.
Robinson has one pressure on 27 pass rush attempts, per PFF. He has allowed Daniel Hardy to make a strong case for the roster. Hardy has 50 pass rush attempts, but he also has 10 pressures, so 10 times as many as Robinson on less than twice as many rush snaps.
Hardy is a rookie UDFA and most of his big plays have come late in games. Still, he has flashed, Robinson has shown little and Martin is hurt. Can he sneak on the roster? Do they keep five rushers due to lack of depth? This will be settled soon.
- Wide Receiver
The wide receiver room appears to be wide open towards the back end. It seems that the Bears will keep five wide receivers but there is a chance they sneak a sixth option on the roster.
The starters are obvious with D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze. Tyler Scott has started to show enough that you can lock him as wide receiver four in his second NFL season. However, the fifth and potentially sixth spots are wide open.
First, Collin Johnson made noise in the Hall of Fame game but has not appeared in the past two games. DeAndre Carter is hurt and may have lost his punt return job to Josh Blackwell.
Nsimba Webster and Dante Pettis have looked good in the preseason, but these guys have been here for three years now, and we know what they bring. Both are assets in the return game, so you have to respect their chances of making the roster.
- Running Back
Running back is another murky positon. We know that Khalil Herbert will join DeAndre Swift as the lead backs. From there, who knows. Roschon Johnson is supposed to be the top pass protecting back and he would play on obvious pass downs. However, he has been injured, and thus we have seen Travis Homer get snaps with Caleb Williams.
Still, is Homer even a lock for the roster? Is Johnson healthy enough to put on the 53-man roster? As noted, Velus Jones has also shifted to running back, but this room is crowded. Jones is clearly worse in pass protection compared to Johnson and Homer, but he brings the kick return element and can run after the catch.
Lastly, Ian Wheeler still has an outside shot at the roster. The Bears may keep four or five backs. The fact that no wide receivers want to step up and provide depth, and the Bears likely keeping three tight ends helps this case.