The Chicago Bears have submitted their initial 53-man roster to the NFL office as the league’s deadline hits Tuesday at 3 p.m. Bears general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus will now focus on the regular season.
In addition to the two trades the Poles made to add Darrell Taylor and Chris Williams to their defensive line over the weekend, the team continued to refine its depth chart in recent days with a final round of moves on Tuesday.
As the September 8 season opener against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field approaches, here are all the latest roster developments.
The Chicago Bears have announced their initial 53-man roster. Here’s a look at who’s staying and who’s going.
Wednesday
The Bears signed 14 players to the practice squad, including quarterback Austin Reed.
A day after cutting their roster to 53 players, the Bears re-signed several of their cuts to the practice squad: linebackers Micah Baskerville and Carl Jones; tight end Stephen Carlson; offensive linemen Theo Benedet and Jake Curhan; wide receiver Collin Johnson; safety Quindell Johnson; defensive linemen Byron Cowart, Jamree Kromah and Dashaun Mallory; defensive back Tarvarius Moore; quarterback Austin Reed; and cornerbacks Reddy Steward and Ro Torrence.
Reed, the undrafted rookie out of Western Kentucky, returns to the Bears as the third quarterback after the team released him and Brett Rypien.
Steward, an undrafted rookie out of Troy, is a notable addition after making a few plays during training camp. Collin Johnson is another player worth mentioning after playing in three games for the Bears last season.
The team can still sign two more players to the practice squad and can add a 17th player if he comes from the international program.
Tuesday
Velus Jones Jr. is on the initial 53-man roster.
The Bears asked Jones to switch positions from receiver to running back midway through training camp, and Jones responded by rushing for a team-best 158 yards on 25 carries, with touchdown runs of 4 and 39 yards over the final three preseason games. That was enough to convince Poles and Eberflus that he was worth keeping as an explosive playmaker who can help the Bears as a kickoff returner and a complementary piece on offense.
Jones, a third-round pick in the 2022 draft, had just 11 receptions, 127 yards and one TD as a receiver in his first two seasons with the Bears but now has a chance to redefine himself in the backfield.
Other players from the bubble roster who made the team Tuesday included defensive lineman Dominique Robinson, defensive end Daniel Hardy and center Doug Kramer Jr.
The Bears released quarterback Brett Rypien Tuesday morning. Other notable cuts included fullback Khari Blasingame, receiver Collin Johnson, safety Adrian Colbert and cornerback Greg Stroman Jr.
The Bears had already planned to play starting quarterback Caleb Williams and backup Tyson Bagent. But Rypien provided a veteran presence for the young quarterback room during training camp. Rypien could now sign with another team or he and the Bears could opt to revert him to the practice squad, which seems like a real possibility.
Rypien played in 10 games and started four times over four NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams. During this month’s preseason, he completed 24 of 34 passes for 335 yards with three TDs and a passer rating of 131.4.
Undrafted rookie quarterback Austin Reed was also released Tuesday.
The Bears’ termination of Blasingame’s contract is simply a matter of roster mechanics. The veteran guard, according to a league source, is expected to re-sign with the team Wednesday when a roster spot opens up following a transfer from injured reserve that has yet to be disclosed.
Johnson, meanwhile, had a nice showing in the Bears’ preseason opener against the Houston Texans, but has been out for several weeks with an undisclosed injury. Johnson, who played in three games for the Bears last season, could be a candidate for a practice squad signing.
Colbert has been in the NFL since 2017 and has played in 41 games, including 22 as a starter. He has shined at times this preseason, but the Bears have good depth at safety in Elijah Hicks and Jonathan Owens behind starters Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker.
Other players cut Tuesday include cornerbacks Reddy Stewart, Leon Jones, Ro Torrence and Tarvarius Moore; tight ends Stephen Carlson and Brenden Bates; defensive linemen Byron Cowart, Jamree Kromah and Dashaun Mallory; linebackers Micah Baskerville, Paul Moala and Carl Jones Jr.; offensive linemen Jake Curhan, Theo Benedet and Aviante Collins; long snapper Cameron Lyons and punter Corliss Waitman.
The Bears will have the opportunity to return several of those players to their 17-man practice squad later this week if they can clear the roster.
Nothing is official, but there’s a good chance long snapper Patrick Scales will open the season on injured reserve.
Scales, 36, hasn’t played since the Hall of Fame game against the Houston Texans, when he suffered a back injury.
If Scales starts the season on IR, he could be eligible to return as early as Week 5 when the Bears host the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 6.
Scales hasn’t missed a regular-season game since the 2017 season, when he tore his ACL in a preseason game against Tennessee. If he’s unavailable, the Bears will need to pivot and could likely consider adding a veteran long snapper once the rest of the league makes its cuts. Cameron Lyons had filled in for Scales during training camp and the preseason but was let go Tuesday. Lyons has never played in an NFL regular-season game. He was with the New York Giants during training camp last summer.
The Bears placed two players on IR with a designation to return on Tuesday — defensive end Jacob Martin and offensive tackle Larry Borom.
The team took advantage of a league rule revision that allows all teams to place up to two players on IR at the roster deadline without having to use one of their 53 roster spots to do so. Additionally, the Bears placed receiver/punt returner Dante Pettis on IR at the end of the season.
Monday
Third-year offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter led a list of nine players the Bears waived Monday. The others were defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour, receivers John Jackson and Peter LeBlanc, offensive lineman Jerome Carvin, defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings, defensive back Quindell Johnson and linebackers Paul Moala and Javin White.
Carter, a seventh-round pick out of Southern in 2022, played in 13 games in his first two seasons with the Bears, making two starts last season.
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The Bears were facing a numerical crisis on the offensive line heading into Tuesday’s roster deadline.
With center/guard Ryan Bates still working through a shoulder injury that puts his availability in question for Week 1, the team will likely keep Doug Kramer on the 53-man roster as a backup center heading into the regular season. Other offensive linemen who will definitely or very likely be on the roster include Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins, Braxton Jones, Nate Davis, Coleman Shelton, Kiran Amegadjie and Matt Pryor.
If Carter is retained, he is a prime candidate to return to the Bears’ 17-man practice squad.
SATURDAY
The Bears waived undrafted rookie defensive tackle Keith Randolph Jr., defensive end Khalid Kareem and wide receiver Freddie Swain, and terminated veteran tight end Tommy Sweeney. The team also placed three players — wide receiver Nsimba Webster, defensive back Douglas Coleman III and running back Ian Wheeler — on injured reserve.
The three trades come late in the season. Wheeler, an undrafted rookie out of Howard, suffered a torn ACL in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. Coleman, meanwhile, suffered a neck injury in that game and was stretchered off the field. After being evaluated at a hospital, he was cleared Friday to fly to Chicago.
The Bears will have to submit their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but will have the option to bring back 17 players to their practice squad if they win.
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