Chicago Bears Complete Their First Round Of Roster Cuts

The NFL made some tweaks to their preseason roster handling process in 2021. Normally teams would just go from their 90-man limit down to 53 once all preseason games are concluded. However, it seems that hasn't been overly popular. So they decided to return to a more gradual whittling down of the number over the course of the next couple of weeks. The first round of cuts for the Chicago Bears required them to get down to 85 players. A process they completed Tuesday afternoon. Usually, this round of releases doesn't feature a ton of surprises. That held true for the most part save maybe for one. Here is the list of names who found themselves on the outs.

• OG Gage Cervenka
• WR Jester Weah
• WR Justin Hardy
• LB Ledarius Mack
• DB Dionte Ruffin
• DB Michael Joseph

The biggest name of that bunch is of course Mack.

He is the younger brother of star linebacker Khalil Mack. Last Saturday was his first actual game action with the Bears since he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He managed a QB pressure during the game. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough. Chicago has a ton of depth at outside linebacker and with guys like Jeremiah Attaochu, Trevis Gipson, Charles Snowden, and James Vaughters ahead of him. His odds were almost non-existent. Hardy is the former 4th round pick from Atlanta who signed with the Bears a few weeks ago. He had a nice catch on Saturday that helped set up their first points of the game. Like Mack though, he just hadn't stood out enough in practice. Ruffin recovered a fumble against Miami as well but did little else.

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Chicago Bears have tougher decisions ahead of them

The next round of cuts will require them to go from 85 to 80 players on August 24th. Then one week after that on the 31st the biggest wave will arrive when it must go from 80 to 53. There are still plenty of fringe names across the depth chart fighting desperately for a roster spot. Here are a few battles that could determine how things play out.

Rodney Adams vs. Chris Lacy vs. Javon Wims vs. Riley Ridley

Wide receiver is almost always a battleground this time of year. The Chicago Bears figure to carry six on their roster like usual. Presuming Dazz Newsome makes it as a draft pick, that is five spots locked up with Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd as well. This means it's a dash for that sixth and final spot. Based on the eye test? Adams seems to have the advantage after his strong preseason showing. Whether he can hang onto it two more weeks is the big question.

Joel Iyiegbuniwe vs. Christian Jones vs. Josh Woods

Alec Ogletree came out of nowhere at inside linebacker in the past week. He dominated practices from the moment he arrived and then had a great showing against the Dolphins. He is now a lock for the roster at inside linebacker. Presuming the Bears carry four like last season, that leaves one spot open. Jones has the most proven experience and can play special teams. Woods is trying to return from a quad injury. Iyiegbuniwe is a special teams standout but has looked below average on defense.

Marqui Christian vs. Teez Tabor vs. Jordan Lucas

Probably the most competitive position right now is at safety. Despite already being four-deep there, the Bears have three players battling for what could be a fifth and final spot. Christian and Tabor keep trading big plays in practice. Lucas has a strong special teams background that is sustaining him thus far. That could be the area that has the toughest decisions for the coaching staff.