Chicago Bears Announce Their Initial Practice Squad Players

After making cuts to get to the 53-man roster limit, the Chicago Bears announce the players who now join the practice squad.

The Chicago Bears continue to tinker with their roster to get ready for the start of the 2023 season. They got to the 53-man limit ahead of the deadline, then made some adjustments by making waiver-wire claims.

In addition to the 53-man roster, the Bears announced the initial players who will make up the 17-man practice squad. These will be players who will have the players on the regular roster prepare for their opponents each week. In case of injuries, some of these players could be elevated and step in to help.

Normally, the number of players on the practice squad is 16. However, the Bears are part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway. As a result, Nigeria native Roy Mbaeteka, an offensive tackle, will be on the squad. He won’t count against the 16-player limit.

Here is a list of the 11 players the Bears announced. We will see who the others be in a day or so.

Micah Baskerville, LB:

Micah Baskerville went undrafted in this year’s draft. He comes out of LSU, who has a history of producing NFL linebackers. Baskerville had a good training camp and handled himself in the preseason games. Some thought he had a shot of making the roster but ultimately didn’t. Now he has a chance to impress some more on the practice squad.

Travis Bell, DL:

Travis Bell was the Bears’ seventh-round pick this year. General manager Ryan Poles made the defensive line a priority by drafting three of them. Bell still needs some refining so he will get it on the practice squad.

Robert Burns, FB:

Burns had an impressive training camp. He did everything the team asked of him. The Bears went with Kari Blasingame as the sole fullback. Should something happen to him, Burns can step in. Additionally, Burns could be an asset in the future.

Stephen Carlson, TE:

The Chicago Bears are loaded at tight end. They have a good trio of Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan, and Marcedes Lewis. They have players who can catch passes and block efficiently. Carlson could be a future asset.

Aviante Collins, OL:

A team cannot have enough offensive linemen. That is especially true for the Chicago Bears. Their offensive line suffered through a number of injuries over recent seasons. Collins can help in case there are more.

Demarquis Gates:

Demarquis Gates was an undrafted linebacker who played in three games last season.

Jalen Harris, DL:

Jalen Harris is another defensive lineman. He plays defensive end, a position that was a need last season.

Roy Mbaeteka, OL:

As mentioned earlier, Roy Mbaeteka is part of the NFL’s International Pathway program. He gets to work on his game and perhaps one day might make it to an NFL roster.

Greg Stroman Jr, DB:

Greg Stroman is a cornerback who showed some flashes during training camp. He has a lot of experience, playing in 22 career games (two for the Chicago Bears last season). If there is an injury to the cornerback unit, Stroman can step up.

Nsimba Webster, WR:

Nsimba Webster can provide help as a wide receiver but he is a more effective special teams player. He can return punts. He was up and down between the practice squad and the regular roster for the Bears last season.

Kendall Williamson, DB:

Safety Kendall Williamson is another seventh-round pick in this year’s draft. He could be a future asset for the secondary.

We’ll be on the lookout for the rest of the players who fill up the practice squad roster.