Rest assured that the
Chicago Bears final roster is not finished yet. There is a strong possibility that GM Ryan Pace may have additional moves in mind before opening day on September 10th. Perhaps it's a low-level trade or a few acquisitions off the waiver wire. However, there's just no predicting such things until they've happened.
So the only thing to do is project how things are likely to play out if the Bears decided to maintain the status quo. This article will run through the positions, pinpointing which players will stick and why. As always there might be a few surprises in store for people. There are so many factors going into this process after all.
Chicago Bears final roster projections
Quarterback:
- Mike Glennon
- Mark Sanchez
- Mitch Trubisky
This position actually is somewhat tricky at the moment. Why? The announcement that Trubisky and Connor Shaw will play in the preseason finale. This means one of two things. Sanchez is a lock for the roster already or he's likely gone and there's no sense playing him. After the injuries suffered last year at QB though odds are he's going to stay. Having good depth is never a bad thing in this league. Whether Sanchez or Trubisky is the primary backup of Glennon will be the next debate.
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Running back:
- Jordan Howard
- Tarik Cohen
- Jeremy Langford
- Bennie Cunningham
Langford should count his lucky stars that Ka'Deem Carey suffered his wrist injury when he did. He and Cunningham were both showcasing their versatility as quality runners and special teams standouts. It was enough to convince many that Langford was no longer needed. Now Carey is out, allowing him to step back into the lineup. He played well in Tennessee. That should be enough to save his job. On the flip side a sad turn of events for Carey.
Wide Receiver:
- Kevin White
- Kendall Wright
- Markus Wheaton
- Deonte Thompson
- Josh Bellamy
- Tanner Gentry
The Cameron Meredith injury threw a huge wrench into the plans at wide receiver for the Bears. It was already a fairly unproven group. Now? White and Wright seem safe given their talent. Wheaton hasn't played at all but signed an expensive deal that the Bears want to see if they can get something back on. Thompson and Bellamy are special teams standouts. The wild card is Gentry. He's dominated training camp and now had some bright preseason moments. Meredith going down nudges him onto the roster.
Tight End:
- Zach Miller
- Dion Simms
- Adam Shaheen
Meredith's injury also impacted the tight end position. More than ever the Bears need to keep as many receiving weapons as they can. Miller may be older and injury-prone but he's productive when on the field. Unlikely he gets cut now. Sims and Shaheen are of course safe for money and draft considerations respectively. It's a shame Daniel Brown isn't able to make it as well, but the numbers game is against him.
Offensive Line
- Kyle Long
- Josh Sitton
- Cody Whitehair
- Charles Leno Jr.
- Bobby Massie
- Hroniss Grasu
- Bradley Sowell
- Tom Compton
The offensive line really is going to be a strength for the Bears in 2017. Sure losing Eric Kush was unfortunate but Pace has shown ability to pinpoint quality blocking talent. Grasu has enjoyed a resurgence at center. Sowell has quietly played well at both tackle positions and Compton is showing progress at guard. It might be surprising to think the Bears would cut a fifth round pick in Jordan Morgan, but it's reasonable to believe they can get him onto the practice squad.
Defensive Line
- Akiem Hicks
- Eddie Goldman
- Jonathan Bullard
- Roy Robertson-Harris
- Jaye Howard
- Mitch Unrein
By far the great strength of the Bears defense is their defensive line. Hicks and Goldman look like emerging superstars. Bullard and Robertson-Harris are promising youngsters who performed well in multiple games during the preseason. Howard is a solid veteran who is proven against the run when he's healthy. Unrein is the blue collar, glue guy that pushes everybody else with how hard he works. It's a nice mix.
Linebackers:
- Leonard Floyd
- Willie Young
- Lamarr Houston
- Sam Acho
- Danny Trevathan
- Jerrell Freeman
- Nick Kwiatkoski
- Christian Jones
- John Timu
People are going to flip out when they don't see Pernell McPhee on this list. That's not because the Bears are going to cut him, so settle down. It's just my belief that he'll stay on the PUP list. That means he's off the active roster for the first six weeks of the season. So the Bears will likely career an extra defensive lineman and just four outside linebackers along with their usual five inside linebacks. Jones and Timu have continued to make quality plays when on the field. They've earned the spots.
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Cornerback:
- Prince Amukamara
- Marcus Cooper
- Cre'Von LeBlanc
- Bryce Callahan
- Kyle Fuller
- Sherrick McManis
There are few surprises here. Amukamara and Cooper remain slotted for starting jobs. LeBlanc and Callahan give the coaches two young, effective options in the slot. The biggest story is of course Fuller. At one point the ex-first round pick looked like he was on his way out. Instead he's stepped up his game after a knee injury last year and looked solid in three preseason appearances. McManis, as always, is retained for his special teams ability.
Safety:
- Quintin Demps
- Eddie Jackson
- Adrian Amos
- Deiondre Hall
- DeAndre Houston-Carson
Demps and Jackson look like the starters for opening day and that's not a surprise at this point. They've each shown they belong. Amos will be relegated to the primary backup roles. Hall hasn't shown up much but provides unique versatility. He can play both safety and corner, giving the team more flexibility in the secondary. Houston-Carson? He's shown marked progress as a defender while remaining a savvy special teams player like he was in college.
Special Teams:
- Connor Barth
- Pat O'Donnell
- Jeff Overbaugh
The kicker competition was a fun side story but it was hard to ever imagine that Aguayo would be able to unseat Barth in just a couple weeks. Besides Barth has kicked well this preseason. Same goes for O'Donnell who may be in store for his best season as Bears punter. Hopefully Overbaugh can maintain consistency at long snapping with Patrick Scales done for the year.
Practice Squad:
- Deon Bush
- Roberto Aguayo
- Dieugot Joseph
- Jordan Morgan
Seeing Bush, Morgan and Aguayo here shouldn't be a surprise. All three are young players with considerable talent at their positions but as yet aren't ready to take that next step. Aguayo needs time to get out of the spotlight and clear his head. Bush is still working on his fundamentals which were atrocious coming out of Miami. Morgan was battling stiff competition and the fact he's never played guard before.
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