The Chicago Bears have until 3 p.m. Tuesday to submit their initial 53-man roster to the NFL office. But general manager Ryan Poles, coach Matt Eberflus and their staffs continue to make moves to push the team in that direction.
In addition to a pair of trades Poles made to add Darrell Taylor and Chris Williams to his defensive line, the team has made a series of other decisions as Week 1 approaches.
As the Bears roster takes shape ahead of their Sept. 8 season opener against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field, here are all of the latest developments.
Tuesday
Nothing is official, but there is a good chance long snapper Patrick Scales will open the season on injured reserve. Scales, 36, has not played since the Hall of Fame Game against the Houston Texans when he suffered a back injury.
If Scales begins the season on IR, he would be eligible to return as early as Week 5 when the Bears host the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 6.
Scales has not missed a regular-season game since the 2017 season when he suffered a torn ACL in a preseason game at Tennessee. If he’s not available, the Bears will have to pivot. That could mean keeping Cameron Lyons, who has been with them in training camp and preseason, or more likely sorting through veteran options after the rest of the league completes cuts.
Lyons has never appeared in a regular-season NFL game. He was with the New York Giants during training camp last summer.
Monday
Third-year offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter headlined a list of nine players the Bears waived on 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 numbers crunch on the offensive line ahead of Tuesday’s roster deadline.
With center/guard Ryan Bates still working through a shoulder injury that leaves his availability for Week 1 in question, the team will likely keep Doug Kramer on the 53-man roster as their backup center heading into the regular season. The other offensive linemen certain or very likely to make the roster are Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins, Braxton Jones, Nate Davis, Coleman Shelton, Kiran Amegadjie and Matt Pryor.
If Carter clears waivers, 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 receiver Freddie Swain and terminated the contract of vested veteran tight end Tommy Sweeney. The team also placed three players — receiver Nsimba Webster, defensive back Douglas Coleman III and running back Ian Wheeler — on injured reserve.
All three IR moves are season-ending. 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 left the field on a stretcher. After being evaluated at a hospital, he was cleared Friday to fly back to Chicago.
The Bears will have to submit their initial 53-man roster Tuesday but will have the opportunity to bring 17 players back to their practice squad if they clear waivers.
