Bears Breakdown: Roster Projection After Preseason Opener

The Chicago Bears opened their preseason slate with a blowout win against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday in their first true test of the 2026 season.

With that, it is a good time to take stock of what they have at each position and project who could stick through the deadline to trim rosters down to 53 players, which will be on August 30 this year.

There could be some noteworthy changes and even some legitimate surprises.

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2025 Roster Count

Before we break down the current Bears’ roster and the potential movers on the depth chart, here is how many of each position they had for their initial 53-player set:

QB – 3
RB – 3
WR – 6
TE – 3
OL – 10 (T – 5; G – 2; G/C – 2; C – 1)
DL – 10 (DE – 5; DT – 5 [one was Shemar Turner, now an EDGE])
LB – 5 (SAM – 2)
CB – 6 (NB – 2 [3 incl. McCloud, who had never played)
SAF – 4 ( FS – 2, SS – 2)
LS – 1

And here is the count for their initial practice squad:

QB – 0
RB – 1
WR – 3
TE – 1
OL – 2 (T – 0, G – 1, C – 1)
DL – 4 (DT – 2, DE – 2)
LB -1
CB – 2
SAF – 0
LS – 1

It is good to remember that this is only the second year under head coach Ben Johnson, which all but renders the previous three seasons for Bears general manager Ryan Poles moot when it comes to the final roster count (Poles’ tendencies are more useful for roster moves).

Moreover, the counts of both the 53-man roster and the practice squad will change throughout the season. These are just starting points used to set baseline expectations for this exercise.

Roster/Depth Chart Projection

Quarterbacks

Current QBs/Depth Chart:

Starter – Caleb Williams
QB2 – Tyson Bagent
QB2 – Case Keenum
QB4 – Miller Moss

53-Man Roster/Depth Chart Projection:

Caleb Williams
Tyson Bagent
Case Keenum

Practice squad: None

Undrafted rookie Moss could land a spot on the practice squad, but the Bears cut Austin Reed (now of the Baltimore Ravens) last season.

This is otherwise a pretty straightforward projection, barring another team blowing the Bears away with a trade offer for Bagent, which seems unlikely after Week 1 since he admittedly failed to light it up in his first reps of this preseason.

Risers/Fallers After Preseason Week 1: Nothing to see here. Williams did not play. Bagent started, and slowly, but he picked it up as the game went on. Keenum looked like a veteran against rookie backups. Moss got his feet wet.

Running Backs

Current RBs/Depth Chart:

Starter – D’Andre Swift
RB2 – Kyle Monangai
RB3 – Roschon Johnson
RB4 – Salvon Ahmed/Brittain Brown/Coleman Bennett

53-Man Roster/Depth Chart Projection:

D’Andre Swift
Kyle Monangai
Salvon Ahmed

Practice squad: Roschon Johnson

Does not take long for our first (relative) surprise. The RB3 job is currently incumbent Roschon Johnson’s. However, he has battled injuries, inconsistency, and a lack of usage during his Bears tenure. Ahmed, meanwhile, has looked dynamic with the ball and has ties to the coaching staff.

Regardless, the Bears have several practice squad options in Ahmed, Johnson, veteran Brittan Brown, or rookie UDFA Coleman Bennett, who may be on the outside looking in right now.

Risers/Fallers After Preseason Week 1: With no Swift or Monangai (DNP-CD), Johnson led the Bears with 34 rushing yards on eight carries. But Ahmed (2-17-0) stole the show with 55 receiving yards, including a 49-yard touchdown, presenting an element his counterpart lacks.

Brittain Brown also caught a TD, while rookie UDFA Coleman Bennett had the Bears’ only rushing score. They could be steals on waivers.

Wide Receiver

Current WRs/Depth Chart:

Starters: Rome Odunze/Luther Burden III
2nd String: Kalif Raymond/Jahdae Walker
3rd String: Zavion Thomas/Maurice Alexander
4th String: Scotty Miller, Ray-Ray McCloud, JP Richardson, Kaden Davis, Omari Kelly

53-Man Roster/Depth Chart Projection:

Rome Odunze/Luther Burden III
Kalif Raymond/Jahdae Walker
Zavion Thomas
Maurice Alexander

Practice squad: Kaden Davis, JP Richardson, Ray-Ray McCloud

The top five spots appear locked, with Burden appearing to avoid going on an injured list with his groin issue, which will, at the least, wipe out his preseason. It is a toss-up after that. Kaden Davis, Maurice Alexander, Scotty Miller, JP Richardson, and Ray-Ray McCloud have flashed.

Alexander and Richardson’s experience with the Bears could give them an edge, as could Davis and McCloud’s speed.

Omari Kelly will have to battle for even a practice squad spot.

Risers/Fallers After Preseason Week 1: Davis led the Bears with 88 receiving yards, while Alexander scored a touchdown and McCloud tallied 63 yards. Miller (3-37-0) and Richardson (2-37-0) were no slouches, either. Trimming this group will be difficult.

Tight End

Current TEs/Depth Chart:

Starters – Cole Kmet/Colston Loveland
Backups – Sam Roush/Daniel Carlson/Nikola Kalinic/Qadir Ismail/Hayden Large

53-Man Roster/Depth Chart Projection:

Cole Kmet/Colston Loveland
Sam Roush

Practice squad: Hayden Large

Another straightforward position group that was all but set before the preseason began. Kmet and Loveland will once again form one of the most formidable duos in the league, while Roush replaces veteran Durham Smythe.

In this projection, UDFA Large beats out veteran and practice squad staple Stephen Carlson, as well as projects Nikola Kalinic and Qadir Ismail.

Risers/Fallers After Preseason Week 1: Status quo. Roush acclimated himself well and finished with a pair of grabs for 17 yards, while Carlson and Ismail combined for a 2-19-0 line.

Offensive Line

Current OL/Depth Chart:

LT: Braxton Jones/Jedrick Wills/Kiran Amegadjie
RT: Darnell Wright/Theo Benedet/Mason Murphy

LG: Joe Thuney/Jordan McFadden/Kyle Hergel
RG: Jonah Jackson/Luke Newman/Caden Barnett

Garrett Bradbury
Logan Jones
Jaren Kump

53-Man Roster/Depth Chart Projection:

LT: Braxton Jones, Kiran Amegadjie, *Ozzy Trapilo
RT: Darnell Wright, Theo Benedet

LG: Joe Thuney, Jordan McFadden
RG: Jonah Jackson

Garrett Bradbury
Logan Jones

Practice squad: Luke Newman, Caden Barnett.

The Bears have a different roster composition along their offensive line this year, leading to a variance in the position count. They may be unlikely to bring all five OTs into the regular season, and Wills could be the odd man out as the newcomer.

Newman has missed time in training camp, making his roster spot tenuous at best, but his versatility to also play center could do him a favor amid a slew of reserve competition.

The wild card is Trapilo, last year’s eventual starter. He was activated off the PUP list on Sunday. His return ahead of schedule from a ruptured patellar tendon adds another tackle to the mix, potentially causing a ripple effect which is difficult to calculate before seeing him perform.

The Bears will not keep six OTs. Notably, though, Amegadjie and Benedet can both play guard.

Risers/Fallers After Preseason Week 1: Nothing changed after Week 1, and there is unlikely to be any changes for the 53-man roster. Still, the Bears have a deep group to sort through.

Defensive Line

Current DTs/Depth Chart:

Starters – Grady Jarrett/Gervon Dexter Sr.
Backups – Neville Gallimore/Kentavius Street
3rd String – James Lynch/Jordan van den Berg
4th String – Jayden Loving

53-Man Roster/Depth Chart Projection:

Grady Jarrett/Gervon Dexter Sr.
Neville Gallimore/Kentavius Street
Jordan van den Berg

Practice squad: James Lynch, Jayden Loving

The Bears have built out their group intentionally, so there are few surprises right now. However, James Lynch has shown well, including versatility, while Loving has the look of a fine understudy for Jarrett.

Risers/Fallers After Preseason Week 1: There are no changes to the outlook for this group after Preseason Week 1, though Lynch and van den Berg continue to look particularly good in their reps.

Current DEs/Depth Chart

MontezSweat
Austin Booker
Jamree Kormah

Dayo Odeyingbo
Daniel Hardy
Jeremiah Martin

53-Man Roster/Depth Chart Projection:

Montez Sweat
Dayo Odeyingbo
Jamree Kormah

Austin Booker
Daniel Hardy

Practice squad: Jeremiah Martin

The Bears list Odeyingbo as a starter, as he was before his ruptured Achilles last year. But Booker has been the one opposite Sweat most this offseason before the latter missed time with his own issue.

Hardy is a valued special teams contributor and can also play linebacker in a pinch, while Kromah benefits in this scenario from Shemar Turner’s (PUP) injury situation.

Risers/Fallers After Preseason Week 1: Kromah would have a stronger case for a full-time roster spot after his showing in the opener. Turner does not seem any closer to returning, which could bode well for Kromah.

Linebacker

Current LBs/Depth Chart

Starters – T.J. Edwards/Devin Bush
Backups – D’Marco Jackson/Noah Sewell*
3rd String – Jack Sanborn/Ruben Hyppolite II
4th String – Nephi Sewell/Jon Rhattigan/Tony Fields II/Wayne Matthews III

53-Man Roster/Depth Chart Projection:

Starters – T.J. Edwards/Devin Bush
Backups – D’Marco Jackson/Jack Sanborn/Ruben Hyppolite II

Practice Squad: Nephi Sewell

The Bears list Noah Sewell as a top backup, even though he was their third starter at SAM last season, and the fact that he is also on the PUP list, along with fellow backer and rookie draft pick Keyshaun Elliott, who has been sidelined since rookie minicamp.

Risers/Fallers After Preseason Week 1: Hyppolite showed well, but he is still behind Jackson and Sanborn, who are firmly behind Bush and Edwards.

Sewell’s ties to the team and familiarity help him in this projection

Cornerback

Current CBs/Depth Chart:

Starters – Jaylon Johnson/Tyrique Stevenson
Backups – Malik Muhammad/Terell Smith
3rd String – Dontae Manning/Beanie Bishop
4th String – William Wright
Nickelback – Cam Lewis/Jaylon Jones/Skyler Thomas

53-Man Roster/Depth Chart Projection:

Starters – Jaylon Johnson/Tyrique Stevenson
Backups – Malik Muhammad/Terell Smith
3rd String – Jaylon Jones/Josh Blackwell
Nickelback – Kyler Gordon*

Practice squad: Dontae Manning, Beanie Bishop

This group is poised to go over the limits of what the Bears carried into the regular season in 2025, though not until Gordon makes his way back from the PUP list, which also does not seem close to happening.

Risers/Fallers After Preseason Week 1: Muhammad acquitted himself well in his NFL preseason debut, and Bishop did the same in his first game with the Bears. Still, this group feels like the status quo will remain.

Safety

Current SAFs/Depth Chart:

Starters – Coby Bryant/Dillon Thieneman
Backups – Xavier Woods/Josh Blackwell
3rd String – Anthony Johnson
4th String – Marlen Sewell

53-Man Roster/Depth Chart Projection:

Starters – Cam Lewis/Dillon Thieneman
Backups – Xavier Woods/Elijah Hicks

Practice Squad: Anthony Johnson, Skyler Thomas

Hicks must get back from injury, and Coby Bryant would Woods’ spot if he were healthy himself. As it stands, though, Bryant is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season.