4 Bears players who won’t make the 53-man roster in 2024

2 Bears defensive players who won’t make the 53-man roster in 2024

Dominique Robinson, EDGE

You can't blame the Bears for wanting to roll the dice on Robinson – 6'5, 250 lbs edge rushers don't just grow on trees, and he was always going to require some patience as he moved from college wide receiver to pro edge rusher.

The results simply haven't been there. 2023 was a step back, both in terms of actual snaps played and production – he only appeared in 11 games (17 in 2022) without a start. It's not like the Bears' defensive line is loaded with talent, either.

His case is sort of similar to Velus Jones', in that the amount of healthy scratches are starting to speak for themselves. Developmental edge rushers are all well and good when you're in the middle of an exhaustive two-year rebuild, but now that the Bears are on the other side of that and looking more and more like a potential playoff contender, they're not going to have the time or patience to start a player who's coming along as slowly as Robinson has so far.

Josh Blackwell, CB

It seems like cornerback may be the most interesting position battle to watch when camp opens this summer? Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon have their roles secured, but after that things get interesting.

Tyrique Stevenson is listed by ESPN and Pro Football Focus as the other starting wide corner, but his stats were not overly impressive last season. On the other hand, Greg Stroman, Jaylon Jones, and Terrell Smith played well – albeit in limited roles – and could easily make a case for the CB3 gig. Stevenson's draft slot probably gives him a slight leg up, but it wouldn't be surprising to see someone push him for the job.

Unfortunately for Blackwell, he's probably just the odd man out. Last season didn't go well for the second-year player out of Duke, and it seems like he's destined to be one of those practice squad players who gets called up for the occasional game in a pinch.