LAKE FOREST, Ill., — The 2025 preseason is officially in the books for the Chicago Bears, and now the focus shifts to the Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings in just over two weeks. But when the Bears hit the field for that Week 1 showdown, the roster will be a little different.
The Bears will trim their roster of 90 players down to the official 53-man roster plus a practice squad ahead of Tuesday's deadline for NFL teams. The moves will come in a flurry as the Bears will unfortunately have to say goodbye to some players with roster cuts.
Overall, there aren't a lot of position battles in terms of roster spots, with a few being on the offensive line, wide receiver, and potentially defensive back. There likely won't be many surprises, either.
With the preseason officially in the books, I wanted to put out my final 53-man roster for the Bears ahead of that Tuesday 4 p.m. ET. deadline. Teams are required to have the 53 players on the active roster but can also have 16 players on their practice squad with one international exception, giving them a potential total of 17 players overall for the season. There were a few tough decisions to make with some late pushes from players in the final preseason game. But I gave it my best shot on what I think Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson will do with this roster.
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SLIDE1 of 10
Quarterback (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
(Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski , USA TODAY Sports)
This one really is pretty straightforward. Caleb Williams is your starter, Tyson Bagent will be the backup, and veteran Case Keenum will be the third quarterback. Keenum has been bothered. by an injury for over a week but his veteran presence in the locker room is enough to keep him on the roster.
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Running back (4) : D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Kyle Monangai, Travis Homer
(Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski , USA TODAY Sports)
This is a position that has been hit with some injuries as of late as Roschon Johnson and Kyle Monangai both didn't play in the final two preseason games. We know that D'Andre Swift will be the primary back and if healthy, Johnson and Monangai should have roles as well.
That final spot could come down to some special teams value as well as being a veteran. That's where I'd give Travis Homer the edge over Ian Wheeler and Brittain Brown, who made a late push this preseason. If the Bears do keep five (I doubt it unless the injuries are serious), it could get interesting in terms of who they keep.
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Tight end (3): Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, Durham Smythe
(Photo: Getty)
I can't see the Bears keeping more than three tight ends, barring a big surprise. The Bears drafted Colston Loveland at No. 10 overall expecting him to make an immediate impact in their offense. They also return Cole Kmet, a veteran who has spent his entire career in Chicago so far. The Durham Smythe signing was another offseason move as the Bears expect to go with a good amount of 12 personnel this year under Ben Johnson.
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Wide Receiver (5): DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Olamide Zaccheaus, Luther Burden III, Devin Duvernay
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
The top four at this position are pretty much set as Chicago welcomed back Moore and Odunze. They added Zacchaeus in free agency, and throughout training camp, he's been a standout in the offense. The addition of Burden III in the draft gives them another weapon in the offense and potentially the future at the position.
With the Bears keeping five, that fifth spot would come down to Duvernay and Tyler Scott. I believe the Bears will go with the special teams value of Duvernay as a return man over Scott, leaving him as the odd man out.
SLIDE5 of 10
Offensive Line (10): Braxton Jones, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Ozzy Trapilo, Theo Benedet, Ryan Bates, Luke Newman, Kiran Amegadjie
(Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski, USA TODAY Sports)
The biggest question going into this year for this unit would be who is starting at left tackle. After weeks of battling, that question became a little more clearer. For Week 1, it's likely to be Braxton Jones as the starter with Theo Benedet and rookie Ozzy Trapilo backing him up.
The depth was also a big question mark behind the starters. But Chicago keeps Ryan Bates, Luke Newman and Kiran Amegadjie on the roster, giving them 10 total offensive linemen.
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Defensive line (10): Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeybingo, Grady Jarrett, Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter, Austin Booker, Shemar Turner, Daniel Hardy, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Chris Williams
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
There are some question marks with the pass rush behind Montez Sweat. Free-agent signing Dayo Odeybingo got a nice contract to come in and get after the pass rusher, but behind him there are questions about the depth. Austin Booker will be out for a few weeks, so the Bears could keep him on the roster and then IR him, causing him to miss a few games. Daniel Hardy and Tanoh Kpassagnon are the guys behind them.
As for the interior, that's where the strength of this line is. Veterans Grady Jarrett and Andrew Billings can be forces up the middle while Gervon Dexter looks to take a step forward in his career.
The odd man out for me will be Dominique Robinson who could clear waivers and return if Booker goes on IR.
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Linebackers (5): Tremaine Edmunds, TJ Edwards, Noah Sewell, Ruben Hyppolite, Amen Ogbongbemiga
(Photo: Jamie Sabau, USA TODAY Sports)
This position group is pretty much set and there will be no real surprises here. Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards lead the way as the starters while Noah Sewell has earned that third linebacker spot. Behind them is rookie Ruben Hyppolite and veteran Amen Ogbongbemiga who will serve as backups and play a big role on special teams.
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Defensive backs (6): Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Nahshon Wright, Josh Blackwell, Nick McCloud
(Photo: David Banks, USA TODAY Sports)
While Jaylon Johnson is still on the NFI/Active list, he's expected to be removed ahead of Week 1 and is the leader of the defensive back position. Tyrique Stevenson will likely be the second starting defensive back, while Kyler Gordon will be the nickel.
Behind them, Chicago will keep three players as depth. Veteran Nahshon Wright has had a strong camp while Nick McCloud has ended his camp strong as well. Josh Blackwell will once again be a special teams ace while providing some versatility playing on the outside or in the slot if needed.
SLIDE9 of 10
Safety (4): Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, Elijah Hicks, Jonathan Owens
Jaquan Brisker
(Photo: © Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports)
The return of Jaquan Brisker will give this unit a boost after he missed most of last season with a concussion. Pairing him with veteran Kevin Byard gives the Bears a strong back end of the defense. For depth, the Bears will keep both Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks who each saw action last season. The two also provide special teams value as well, securing their roster spots for the upcoming season in Chicago.
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Special Teams (3): Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor, Scott Daly
(Photo: 247Sports)
Another unit that was set without any hesitation is on special teams. The Bears did bring in Jonathan Kim as an extra kicker in training camp, but there wasn't much of a competition to challenge Cairo Santos. Tory Taylor is back for a second season, as is long snapper Scott Daly, giving the Bears some familiarity with the field goal procedure.