Chicago Bears Get Down To The 53 Man Roster Limit

There were some surprise cuts as the Chicago Bears got the roster down to the 53-man roster limit.

Today was the day the Chicago Bears had to get down to the 53-man roster limit set by the NFL. There was a slew of cuts by the team that surprised some.

How the roster looks when the season begins on September 11th is a big discussion. General manager Ryan Poles took over for Ryan Pace and had a number of difficulties. The Bears did not have much salary cap space to go out this year and make a dent in free agency. That meant Poles had to scour the third level of players to replace some of the players who either left via free agency or whom he cut.

Speaking of cutting players, Poles had to make difficult decisions on some popular veterans. He cut a lot of players with big salaries so he could get the salary cap down. Additionally, he traded Khalil Mack.

Mack is one of the top defenders in the league. He also has one of the top contracts in the league. That contract handcuffed Poles. As long as he was on the roster the Bears could not make the moves they needed to make for the future.

Since the Bears are more than a player or two away from contending, Poles had to pull the trigger on a trade. It was not a popular decision but one that had to be made.

With the trade and other cuts, Poles now has the Chicago Bears primed to be a big player in free agency next year. They have the biggest cap space available going into 2023 as a result.

Who makes the 2022 roster?

Before we get to 2023, we have to find out who makes the 2022 roster. Sure, it likely won’t be a winning season for the Chicago Bears. However, it could still be successful. There are a lot of new, young, players. It is critical that these young players develop. This season is for that. Players like quarterback Justin Fields have to be developed so that when the new, better players arrive in Chicago next season, these young players could step in and complement them.

Let’s take a look at the 2022 Chicago Bears roster (for now), Poles’ first as a general manager:

Quarterback: Justin Fields, Trevor Siemian

The Bears cut Nathan Peterman. Last season, they went with three quarterbacks. They decided to go with two this season. Siemian did a very good job when he was in. He engineered a comeback victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in preseason Week 1. With the Bears down 14-0, they scored 19 straight points to come away with the victory.

Peterman just didn’t do enough to keep a roster spot.

Running Back: David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, Trestan Ebner

The top two backs were a given. The Bears also brought in Darrynton Evans to battle for a spot. Ebner had an excellent preseason running the ball as well as catching the ball out of the backfield. He likely takes over the role Tarik Cohen played when he was in Chicago.

Fullback: Khari Blasingame Jake Tonges

The Chicago Bears will utilize the fullback more than they have recently. That should help open holes for the running backs and help out the line in pass-blocking.

The Bears are making a concerted effort to have a more efficient running game. Adding the fullbacks certainly help with that.

Tight End: Cole Kmet, Ryan Griffin

Some people might be surprised that the Bears only went with two tight ends. However, a lot of fullbacks can fill in as tight ends. Kmet will take a lot of snaps and Griffin will give him some rest.

Offensive Line: Lucas Patrick, Cody Whitehair, Teven Jenkins, Larry Borom, Riley Reiff, Sam Mustipher, Ja’Tyre Carter, Zachary Thomas, Braxton Jones

This is the unit with the most discussion this offseason. The Bears have had trouble with the offensive line for years. There were a lot of things going and some drama.

Jenkins went from possibly getting traded to starting right guard. He had a roller coaster of an offseason. He really earned his spot.

Three of the four rookies made the roster. Doug Kramer, the fourth, is on injured reserve and is out for the season. These rookies will get to develop a bit and possibly be ready to battle for starting jobs next season.

A surprise here was Michael Schofield getting cut. Poles signed him just before training camp started and many thought he’d be the starting right guard. After a horrible performance in the first preseason game, it opened up the door for Jenkins. Jenkins took full advantage of that and now Schofield is looking for a job.

Wide Receiver: Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, Equamineous St. Brown, N’Keal Harry, Velus Jones Jr., Dante Pettis, Tajae Sharpe

Here is another unit that received a lot of attention. Fields needs some dependable targets. Mooney was the only receiver from last season that made the team today.

Someone has to step up behind Mooney. Pringle had a good season last year despite being behind a lot of great receivers in Kansas City. Perhaps getting more targets he steps it up even more.

Jones was a controversial third-round pick. Many analysts projected him to go in the fifth round or later. However, he displayed incredible speed and explosiveness, especially as a returner. The Bears will try to use him as much as possible on offense. They’ll get him involved by getting him short passes so he could utilize his open-field excellence. Also, they’ll get some deep shots with him. Furthermore, they should have him running from the backfield as well.

It will be an interesting matchup in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners have Deebo Samuel, who is similar to Jones. San Francisco uses Samuel in a number of ways and they’ve had success. The Bears hope to do the same with Jones.

Pettis and Sharpe took advantage of their opportunities when presented. Sharpe made some incredible catches in the opening preseason game. Pettis, meanwhile, had a big game in the preseason finale.

Defensive Line:  Robert Quinn, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Dominique Robinson, Trevis Gipson, Angelo Blackson, Khyiris Tonga, Justin Jones, Mike Pennel Jr

Quinn was the subject of trade talk. Many thought he would want to leave and go to a contender the same way Mack did. He dispelled those rumors, though, saying he wanted to stay in Chicago.

Gipson was a great replacement when Mack’s season was cut short due to injury. Now he is a full-time starter.

Robinson is a highly thought-of defensive end. The rookie got to college as a wide receiver after having played quarterback in high school. He is athletic and quick. The Bears might have a steal in Robinson.

A surprise here is Mario Edwards getting cut. Perhaps Jones’ good performances in the last two preseason games gave him the edge.

Linebackers: Roquan Smith, Nicholas Morrow, Matthew Adams, Joe Thomas, Jack Sanborn, Caleb Johnson

The Chicago Bears linebackers unit is one position that Poles might look into shoring up via the waiver wire. This is a thin unit. Behind the starting three there aren’t many games played. If Poles stays with these players the starters better not get injured.

It was great to see Sanborn make the team. He is a local product, going to Lake Zurich high school. He went to Wisconsin and now is back home. He’s been all over the place during the preseason. He made tackles on defense and special teams and has an interception and a fumble recovery. The Bears rewarded him for his great play.

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Defensive Back: Jaylon Jones, Kyler Gordon, Kindle Vildor, Lamar Jackson, Duke Shelley, Jaylon Jones, Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Dane Cruikshank, Elijah Hicks

Poles made fixing the secondary a priority this offseason. The unit was just awful last season. Things could be different in 2022. Rookies Kyler Gordon (cornerback) and Jaquan Brisker (safety) will give their veteran running mates a chance to really play well.

After dealing with an injury, Gordon has been steady. With his play on one side opposing quarterbacks won’t be able to ignore Johnson the way they did last season.

At safety, Brisker looked like a seasoned veteran in his first preseason game. He suffered a finger injury but should be ready for Week 1.

Hicks was a seventh-round draft pick but played like he was drafted higher. Poles’ scouting department did a good job of finding some good players late in the draft.

Specialist: Cairo Santos, Patrick Scales, Trenton Gill

Santos and Scales return to their familiar position. The eye-opener here is Gill. He has been fantastic replacing Pat O’Donnell as the punter, consistently getting the ball in deep. He has eight punts that landed inside the opponent’s 20 and three of them inside the 10.

Having an effective punter will help the defense. If Gill can continue to pin Bears’ opponents deep in their own territory the defense can be aggressive and pressure them. That, in turn, helps the offense get the ball with a shorter field. Additionally, if the Bears’ offense finished a drive deep in their territory, Gill could flip the field.

So there you have the Chicago Bears 2022 roster. That is, for now, though. As mentioned before, Poles will hit the waiver wire to look for additional help. Whoever he picks up, he has to cut someone who thought he made the team. Let’s see what Poles does.