The deadline for teams to trim their rosters down from the 90-player limit to the 53-man mark for the regular season is Tuesday, August 26. But many teams, including the Chicago Bears, got a head start on their decision.
Others added to their roster, including several that the Bears will see this coming season.
Among Chicago’s moves, cornerback Terell Smith was placed on season-ending injured reserve. He suffered a knee injury against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 of the preseason.
Chicago Bears’ Early Roster Cuts Lead News Roundup
Bears Cut 6 Players Before Deadline
The Bears announced that they cut six players on Sunday. None of the players were expected to contribute in a meaningful way during the regular season. Some of them could still find their way onto the practice squad.
Chicago cut defensive backs Jeremiah Walker and Mark Perry, linebacker Swayze Bozeman, offensive lineman Chris Glaser, tight end Thomas Gordon, and wide receiver Samori Toure.
Of that group, Glazer, Bozeman, and Toure have the best chances to make the practice squad.
The Bears are deep at cornerback. They still have reserves Nick McCloud and Mekhi Garner behind a group led by Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, but also including Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright, and Zah Frazier.
Linebacker is another strength, with T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds leading a group that includes Noah Sewell, Ruben Hyppolite II, and Amen Ogbongbemiga.
Reserves Power Echols and Carl Jones both made it past the first wave of cuts, too.
Tight end (Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, Durham Smythe) is another strength, and the Bears have done well to fortify their wide receiver spot behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze with Olamide Zaccheaus, Luther Burden III, and Devin Duvernay.
Former fourth-round pick Tyler Scott is also still around. He could be one of the players who is on the bubble still, though.
The Bears’ left tackle battle revealed some depth options that can also play inside.
More moves are coming, but the Bears’ roster cuts still figure to yield few, if any, real surprises by the deadline. Bears general manager Ryan Poles has worked diligently to remake the roster under his watch, and new head coach Ben Johnson has only added his influence to that.
Former Bears Get Axe as Rivals Get Active
The NFC North featured some of the most activity on Sunday, with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings leading the way.
Minnesota made the biggest news, trading backup quarterback Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles for draft capital. The Vikings acquired Howell in a trade from the Seattle Seahawks this past offseason. The Vikings also signed former Eagles star QB Carson Wentz.
They will visit the Bears to open the 2025 regular season on “Monday Night Football.”
Their starting quarterback still figures to be J.J. McCarthy, but their only other quarterback on the roster was rookie undrafted free agent Max Brosmer.
That is because the Vikings cut Brett Rypien, who was among the 11 players they parted with, joining fellow former Bears in cornerback Reddy Steward and defensive tackle Travis Bell. Bell was a seventh-round pick by the Bears in 2023.
The Packers acquired offensive tackle Darian Kinnard from the Eagles for draft capital.
Not to be left out, the Detroit Lions announced that they released veteran cornerback DiCaprio Bootle, who, like Kinnard, is a Super Bowl champion. Expect more moves before Wednesday.
Bears QB Tyson Bagent Riding Good Vibe
Speaking of backup quarterbacks, the Bears still roster four passers, and three of them could have a claim to a roster spot. One of them, 2023 undrafted free agent Tyson Bagent, recently signed a contract extension and continues to enjoy the spoils.
Bagent got emotional speaking about how much the deal meant for him and his family.
On Sunday, he was the man of the hour at the White Sox game against the Minnesota Twins, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
Bagent is the first Bears quarterback to receive a contract extension since Jay Cutler in 2014. If everything goes right, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will be the next. He could even reset the market when the time comes.