Windy City Gridiron
With the Chicago Bears scheduled to open the preseason slate on Sunday when they host the Miami Dolphins, I had to get my 53-man roster predictions out there. Some of these are no-brainers, but after breaking down each position group on my roster battles series, I can see a few surprises. In case you missed it, the Bears revealed their initial and very unofficial depth chart, and Josh shared those in The Feed, which is a new SB Nation feature that will house all of the quick FanShots and all your Fan Posts.
OFFENSE (25)
Quarterback (3): Caleb Williams, Case Keenum, Tyson Bagent
The emergency third QB rule only comes into play if a third quarterback is on the 53. Keenum was signed to be on the roster, and Bagent’s limited reps in the regular seaosn and preseason show him to be a solid option.
Running back (4): D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Kyle Monangai (R)
If Homer didn’t get a new deal to be a core special teamer, I probably would have left him off, but as the roster is constructed, it makes sense to keep him.
Tight end (3): Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, Durham Smythe
Even with the buzz surrounding their planned 12-personnel usage, I only see these three making it, but a couple could find their way to the practice squad.
Wide receiver (5): DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III (R), Olamide Zaccheaus, Devin Duvernay
A sixth spot could happen, but they may be able to stack a few receivers on the practice squad and elevate them for special teams. Miles Boykin has a lot of experience in the third phase, but he was a practice squad player in 2024.
Offensive line (10): Darnell Wright, Jonah Jackson, Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney, Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo (R), Kiran Amegadjie, Ryan Bates, Bill Murray, Luke Newman (R)
Newman has been getting reps at center, which adds value.
Special Teams (3)
Kicker: Cairo Santos
Punter: Tory Taylor
Long snapper: Scott Daly
Defense (25)
Defensive end (5): Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson
Dom Rob has received some praise from the coaches, and his skill set does seem to fit Dennis Allen’s defense. That said, I need to see how he’s used in preseason to feel comfortable about him making the 53.
Defensive tackle (5): Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter Sr., Andrew Billings, Chris Williams, Shemar Turner (R)
If Turner’s ankle injury lingers past week one, he’s a candidate for injured reserve.
Linebacker (5): T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Noah Sewell, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Ruben Hyppolite II (R)
Fun fact about Sewell: he’s entering his third year as a pro, and he’s still one of the younger players on the roster, checking in seven months younger than Hyppolite.
Safety (4): Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard III, Elijah Hicks, Jonathan Owens
Hicks and Owens are core special teamers.
Cornerback (6): Jaylon Johnson, Nahshon Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Josh Blackwell, Terell Smith
I initially had seven corners, but with rookie...
