Bears’ 53-man roster breakdown: 2 big question marks could dampen Caleb Williams’ rookie season

Bears’ 53-man roster breakdown: 2 big question marks could dampen Caleb Williams’ rookie season originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The first iteration of the Bears’ 2024 roster was finalized Tuesday on cut-down day across the NFL.

The Bears’ initial 53-man unit held few surprises.

Running back/wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. made the cut in what is likely his final chance in Chicago to prove he can be a reliable NFL player who contributes to winning football.

The Bears kept six defensive ends, including Dominique Robinson and Daniel Hardy. To keep that many pass rushers, the Bears had to terminate the contract of fullback Khari Blasingame. However, Blasingame is expected to be brought back once long-snapper Patrick Scales is placed on injured reserve. Scales has a back issue that is expected to keep him sidelined for over a month.

Backup long snapper Cameron Lyons was waived Tuesday, which means the Bears will likely hold tryouts at Halas Hall in the coming days. Once they find the proper fill-in for Scales, another member of the initial 53-man group will waived.

The 2024 Bears’ roster enters the season with increased expectations behind rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and an electric group of skill players that includes wide receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze, running back D’Andre Swift, and tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett. Add in an ascending defense with one of the best back sevens in the NFL, and you have a recipe for a team that should contend for a playoff spot this fall.

However, two big roster holes remain as the Bears prepare to start a highly-anticipated season.

The offensive line has been banged up throughout camp. The Bears will enter Week 1 with a “best five” of Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Nate Davis, and Darnell Wright. That group might look different if guard Ryan Bates was healthy, but a shoulder issue is expected to keep him out of the lineup for at least the first week of the season.

With Bates nursing an injury, the Bears kept third-year offensive lineman Doug Kramer as the backup center. Matt Pryor will be the swing tackle while Larry Borom rehabs an ankle injury suffered in the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bears placed Borom on injured reserve with a designation to return. He will be eligible to come back after Week 4.

The Bears ‘ offensive line is the big unknown in the plan to develop Williams into a superstar. It’s an above-average group, but the Bears need Jenkins and Davis to stay healthy while getting the necessary ascention from Jones and Wright on the edges for it to be deemed a reliable unit. If the Bears lose one or two of their starters to injury, Williams’ rookie season could be a little more turbulent than expected.

On the defensive line, the Bears are incredibly thin at defensive tackle, even after the trade for Chris Williams. With Zacch Pickens nursing a groin injury, the Bears only have three interior defensive linemen on the roster. Defensive end DeMarcus Walker kicks inside on pass-rush downs, which will help spell Gervon Dexter and Andrew Billings from what could be a heavy workload early on. If Billings or Dexter go down, the Bears’ defensive line will become the Achilles’ heel that keeps the unit from reaching their elite potential.

Here’s a breakdown of the Bears’ initial roster:

Quarterback (2)

Caleb Williams
Tyson Bagent

Analysis: On Tuesday, the Bears waived undrafted rookie Austin Reed and terminated veteran Brett Rypien’s contract. The Bears would like to get Rypien on the practice squad, and Reed is also a candidate to land there.

Having a capable backup is one of the NFL’s great luxuries. Bagent proved to be that last season, and the second-year signal-caller has looked even more comfortable during this year’s camp.

But all eyes, of course, will be on Williams during a rookie season with immense hype surrounding it heading into Week 1.

Running back (5)

D’Andre Swift
Khalil Herbert
Roschon Johnson
Travis Homer
Velus Jones Jr.

Analysis: Jones is listed as a wide receiver on the Bears’ initial roster, but the third-year pro has been working with the running backs for several weeks and will be deemed one in the Week 1 report.

Jones’ career has been filled with costly errors, but the Bears love his elite speed and playmaking potential. The move to running back is a last-gasp effort to get value out of the 2022 third-round pick. He should also be their Week 1 kick returner.

The backfield outside of Jones is a loaded group. For my money, Swift was the Bears’ most impressive player during training camp. The veteran back can gash defenses inside and out, is a good pass protector, and will be a deadly weapon in the passing game. Herbert and Johnson give the Bears a thunder-and-lightning tandem to backup Swift.

Homer has core special teams value but is a potential candidate to be waived once the Bears find their long snapper.

Blasingame, who the Bears cut on Tuesday, is expected back on the roster after some procedural moves.

Wide receiver (5)

DJ Moore
Keenan Allen
Rome Odunze
Tyler Scott
DeAndre Carter

Analysis: Not much to analyze here. It’s a loaded group with a diverse array of skills. If the top three stay healthy, the Bears’ passing attack should be one of the most lethal in the NFL. Scott provides field-stretching speed, and his improved route-running and ball-tracking skills have him slated to make an impact in Year 2.

Expect Carter to be the Day 1 punt returner.

Tight ends (3)

Cole Kmet
Gerald Everett
Marcedes Lewis

Analysis: A well-rounded group that can do it all. The Bears’ offense flows from the tight end position, and they have a triumvirate that can beat defenses in the passing game and punish them as blockers in the ground game.

Undrafted rookie Brendan Bates is a practice squad candidate, but he could receive interest from other teams around the league after a solid preseason.

Offensive line (10)

Braxton Jones
Teven Jenkins
Coleman Shelton
Nate Davis
Darnell Wright
Ryan Bates
Matt Pryor
Kiran Amegadjie
Bill Murray
Doug Kramer

Analysis: As stated above, it’s a decent group with question marks in several areas. I think the Bears would prefer to start Bates at right guard if he were healthy instead of playing roulette with Davis’ availability. The depth worries me. Developing Williams is the most important thing this fall, and the Bears are one or two injuries away from trotting out the hope of a city behind a unit that would struggle to block an underwear ad.

Defensive line (10)

Montez Sweat
Andrew Billings
Gervon Dexter
DeMarcus Walker
Austin Booker
Darrell Taylor
Chris Williams
Daniel Hardy
Dominique Robinson
Zacch Pickens

Analysis: In an effort to find any semblance of a pass rush outside of Sweat, the Bears elected to keep six edge rushers on their initial 53. They also placed edge rusher Jacob Martin on injured reserve with a designation to return. Martin flashed early in camp before suffering a toe injury.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus plans to “play the hot hand” opposite Sweat. That likely means a lot will be placed on Booker and Taylor early on, with Walker expected to be relied on for interior support.

While the edge-rushing situation is precarious, it’s the thin interior line that worries me. Billings was fantastic last season, but he sometimes labored as the Bears increased his workload. They are already planning to use him at both nose and three-technique. If Billings gets injured or wears down, the Bears’ defense will have a problem.

Linebacker (5)

T.J. Edwards
Tremaine Edmunds
Jack Sanborn
Noah Sewell
Amen Ogbongbemiga

Analysis: A very stout group with a tandem in Edwards and Edmunds with a cohesive chemistry that should help cause a lot of turnovers this season. Sewell missed most of camp with an injury, but his athleticism and ability as a blitzer are too good to cut bait after one NFL season.

Sanborn remains one of the most underrated players in the NFL.

Cornerback (6)

Jaylon Johnson
Tyrique Stevenson
Kyler Gordon
Jaylon Jones
Terell Smith
Josh Blackwell

Analysis: The Bears’ secondary is a talented unit with four starting-caliber corners and two reserves in Jones and Blackwell, who have filled in admirably when called on. The roster crunch forced the Bears to waive veteran Greg Stroman Jr., but they still have arguably the deepest secondary in the NFL. Gordon is on track to ascend to Pro Bowl status. If Stevenson takes the expected Year 2 leap, it will be hard to throw on this group.

Safeties (4)

Jaquan Brisker
Kevin Byard
Elijah Hicks
Jonathan Owens

Analysis: The Byard-Eddie Jackson swap should pay dividends for the Bears’ defense. Jackson liked to play in the backend, which made the defense predictable last season. That won’t be the case this year as the Bears plan to have Byard and Brisker be multiple in their duties, which should keep defenses from getting an easy beat on what they are doing in the backend.

Specialists (3)

Cairo Santos
Tory Taylor
Patrick Scales

Analysis: The Bears’ long-snapper issue is the first one they must solve this week. If they can find a reliable snapper to fill in for Scales, then this is a solid group with a legitimate weapon at punter in Taylor.

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