The Chicago Bears are just a few weeks away from setting their 53-man roster. While there will always be surprises, they usually are within just a few spots. So, what are those spots, and how many possible fringe players can still sneak onto the roster? We will look into the roster locks and see how many of the top 53 spots are already locked down.
Identifying locks for the Chicago Bears 53-man roster
Quarterback (2), total 2 - Justin Fields, PJ Walker
These two are pretty obvious. If anything, neither Nathan Peterman nor Tyson Bagent has even stepped up to be on the roster bubble.
Running back (4), total 6 - Khalil Herbert, D'onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson, Khari Blasingame
The two roster bubble players from this group will be Travis Homer, and Trestan Ebner.
Wide Receiver (5), total 11 - DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Tyler Scott, Equanimeous St. Brown
Equanimeous St. Brown was on the field when Justin Fields was in the preseason opener, and he played special teams well, ensuring he is a lock. The next bubble player is Velus Jones, who fell back from a lock after a poor preseason opener.
Tight End (3), total 14 - Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis
Stephen Carlson is the fourth right end, but it would be shocking to see him on the roster.
Offensive Line (8), total 22 - Braxton Jones, Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis, Teven Jenkins, Darnell Wright, Lucas Patrick, Larry Borom, Ja'Tyre Carter
Ja'Tyre Carter started in lieu of Nate Davis and played a ton in the preseason. The feel was that he earned himself a roster spot with that game. Now, the question is whether Logan Stenberg or Alex Leatherwood make it as an extra interior lineman.
Defensive Line (8), total 30 - DeMarcus Walker, Yannick Ngakoue, Dominique Robinson, Rasheem Green, Andrew Billings, Justin Jones, Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens
Along the interior, both Bravvion Roy and Travis Bell have shots at the roster. Then, on the edges, there are Trevis Gipson and Terrell Lewis. However, none of those four earned a spot with just one week of play.
Linebacker (4), total 34 - Tremaine Edmunds, TJ Edwards, Noah Sewell, Jack Sanborn
Both Dylan Cole and DeMarquis Gates were close to locks, but neither has been able to stay healthy. This led to the team signing Mykal Walker, who may end up making the roster.
Cornerback (5), total 39 - Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Terell Smith, Josh Blackwell
As long as Blackwell and Smith stay healthy, they should be considered locks. The question is whether they keep a sixth cornerback like Jaylon Jones or Kindle Vildor.
Safety (3), total 42 - Jaquan Brisker, Eddie Jackson, Elijah Hicks
These top three are locks; the question remains for Adrian Colbert, AJ Thomas, and Kendall Williamson.
Special teams (3), total 45 - Cairo Santos, Patrick Scales, Trenton Gill
45 roster locks. Now, the question is, who fills those final eight spots?