KANSAS CITY, Mo. — 10 thoughts after the Chicago Bears finished as the best NFL team in the preseason with a perfect 4-0 record following a 34-21 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium.
It was the third consecutive victory by double-digit points and wrapped up the club’s first perfect exhibition schedule since 1994. Included are where the Bears turn from here, a scary situation for cornerback Douglas Coleman III, a projection for Tuesday’s roster cuts and more.
1. You can’t put stock in preseason records, and trying to sift through statistics is a good way to go down a rabbit hole to nowhere. But you can get a bit of a feel for the attitude, and maybe the chemistry, of a group in preseason — and the Bears seem to be in a better spot than they’ve been in some time.
It doesn’t feel forced. It doesn’t come across as fake. They’re hungry and know they really haven’t accomplished a thing. They talk about changing the culture at Halas Hall, but until you start winning, your culture is just about as good as your record.
I’m not talking about what you see packaged for “Hard Knocks.” They are slick enough to sell anything and really what’s interesting on the show is the stories that can be told. It feels a little different this season, but a 4-0 record in preseason doesn’t mean a darn thing.
“I’ve always said that what you see in the games is what you see in practice,” coach Matt Eberflus said after Thursday’s game. “They’ve given tremendous effort. The locals that have been out there, I know you have seen that. We finish a lot, finish down the field. The reason we do that is because we are trying to get that mental and physical in elite condition.
“We are not there yet. We’re getting better and we’re getting close. That just shows you that at the back end of that roster, the guys bought into that. That’s what you saw tonight.”
Eberflus ticked off some pretty good individual performances. Velus Jones carried 13 times for 111 yards about three weeks after being shifted to running back. Tyler Scott caught six passes for 99 yards, and undrafted rookie free agent Reddy Steward intercepted two passes, returning one 48 yards for a touchdown. Will those three make it through roster cuts on Tuesday? I’ll offer my projected 53-man roster in a little bit.
The third-year Bears coach and his staff are getting the young players to work hard and it’s been detailed how the roster has been upgraded.
None of it will matter if the Bears can’t get off to a decent start in the regular season. In no way am I saying Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans is make or break; that would be nonsense. But the NFC North looks like one of the best divisions in the league and the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are going to be too good to spot them an early lead.
The Bears have won their season opener only twice in the last 10 years. Eberflus won his debut against the San Francisco 49ers in 2022 at Soldier Field, a 19-10 win in some heavy rain. Boy was that outcome not indicative of the direction each club was headed. The Bears also won 27-23 at Detroit to open the 2020 season. That’s it for Week 1 wins since 2013.
“We’re kind of having a new, revamped energy,” said cornerback Jaylon Johnson, one of the more veteran guys in the locker room entering his fifth season. “Kind of building off what we started last year. I feel like there is a lot to be excited about. A lot to build on. Enjoying where we’re at, but we’ve got a long way to go. Really trying to make it fun and just enjoy it.
“We have to start fast Week 1 and continue to build from there. One week at a time. Continue to get guys get back healthy and then, shoot, start chipping away week by week. It’s going to be a long season. It’s going to have some ups and it’s going to have some downs. We have to stick together and continue to keep this energy no matter what is going on — wins, losses, adversity, success. We have to continue to bring the energy and know we’re going to have a true opportunity to do something special.”
We’ll see by mid-October, perhaps sooner, if the reads on the team over the summer are accurate. And if so, it could be an interesting season. Energy and effort and focus and all of that is great — you’ve got to be able to put it together on a consistent basis. That’s the challenge starting Sept. 8 against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field.
2. Maybe the best sign Douglas Coleman III will be OK is that after being put on a back board and then a stretcher before being carted off and taken to a local hospital is that Matt Eberflus went through some more standard injuries to others before he had to be asked about the cornerback.
“When I was on the field, standing over there on the Chiefs sideline, he was moving his limbs,” Eberflus said. “He gave us a thumbs up, so that was really lifting to our football team. But I don’t have any more than that. He’s at the hospital right now being evaluated.”
Said Chiefs coach Andy Reid postgame: “First of all, Douglas Coleman was the kid that got nicked up there and our thoughts are with him going forward. I think he’s going to be OK, but our thoughts are there.”
Coleman was injured on the kind of play you’ve seen a thousand times before without injury. Chiefs wide receiver Cornell Powell caught a hitch route on the outside and was trying to spin inside of cornerback Ro Torrence, who had outside leverage. As Powell spun, Coleman arrived and replays showed Coleman’s head hitting Powell’s arm or side.
“The way he hit me, I didn’t even really feel it,” Powell said. “I don’t even know if he hit me or his teammate (Torrence). I spun there, trying to spin out of the tackle and (Coleman) came and tried to tackle me. I don’t know what happened. I turned around and he was on the ground.
“I felt like it was a routine play. I got up and ran to the huddle and they blew it dead. He was still there and I didn’t know what happened. I am guessing he hit his teammate or came with his head down and it was something with his neck. He didn’t hit me hard. It could happen on any given play to anybody. I felt like it was a routine play but he didn’t get up.”
Torrence said he didn’t see the collision either. Nearly everyone on the Bears sideline went onto the field as Coleman was eventually taken to an ambulance under the stadium. There was serious concern.
Scary scene as Bears DB Douglas Coleman has to be taken off on a stretcher. Entire Bears sideline came over to support him. pic.twitter.com/ay3rnzXY9m
— Colleen Kane (@ChiTribKane) August 23, 2024
“It’s always scary when you see a teammate go down, but that is when you pray for them,” Torrence said. “Pray to God. There are all those prayers up for Coleman. He gave us a thumbs up.”
The incident is a good reminder that innocuous-looking plays can still be dangerous. Hopefully the Bears will provide more good news regarding Coleman on Friday.
3. Matt Ryan, who is moving from the booth where he was an analyst for CBS last season to the “NFL Today” desk for the network, has been making the rounds at training camps.
He was at Halas Hall last week and visited the Washington Commanders on Thursday. He’s been to New England and Atlanta, and if you’re sensing a trend, he’s been trying to get eyes on some of the rookie quarterbacks.
Because Ryan is a former quarterback — he won MVP honors in 2016 — and has a close relationship with GM Ryan Poles dating back to their days as teammates and roommates at Boston College, he probably has some interesting insight after surveying practice for two days. Here’s a Q&A with the QB, edited lightly for clarity.
How was your visit to Halas Hall?
Great. I had been up last year for training camp a couple days and called one of the games in Chicago last year against Denver. So had been in the building a little bit here and there and being back this time, just from an outsider’s perspective, the energy felt different. You pick up on that, particularly as a former player, right? When you walk in there, “This feels a little bit different than last year when I was in here.”
What did you learn on this trip?
Looking at the roster, at the skill positions, just a complete re-tooling on the offensive side. And then you look at the defense, they go ahead and make the trade, bring in Montez Sweat, and they start to add pass rush. Just feel like so many different things that were looming early last year are no longer there. And then you’ve got completely new guys. When you look at the offensive side, DJ Moore was there in camp last year but you add Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Gerald Everett at the tight end position, adding that depth, and then D’Andre Swift in the backfield along with the first overall pick (Caleb Williams). I’m looking at it and it’s hard to remember a roster looking that different and that upgraded from a talent standpoint. It’s tough to do that with the current structure of the cap and how the draft works. The number of changes is just kind of astounding.
How would you describe your relationship with Poles?
We were really close. At Boston College, we were roommates basically four of the five years. I had like four other guys — there were a group of five of us that were super, super close — and basically lived together, and Ryan was one of those guys along with Trey Koziol (Bears director of player personnel). We got into the same world, all be it in different avenues, myself playing and Ryan starting out in Kansas City and kind of working his way up. Like friends do, you keep in touch. Everybody’s lives start going in different directions, guys are getting married, we had bachelor parties together. Guys are having kids and you are seeing them growing up. He’s just a good friend, always has been, and I’m always rooting for him.
Did you have any advice for Poles when he got the Bears job?
I gave it to him from my perspective, which I think is sometimes helpful because they come at it from a different lens. The one thing I told him that I always appreciated as a player in dealing with coaches or front office, whatever that might be, is transparency and honesty. That doesn’t mean you are going to hear what you want to hear or you may agree or disagree with the direction they want to go. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to do hard things and I said, “When hard things come up it means a lot to players when you do it the right way.” I think that helps build the culture and a level of trust within the locker room to the front office and that was really kind of the main piece of advice, but I think that’s inherently who Ryan is anyhow having known him. So, probably wasn’t all that helpful. He would pick my brain on little things about just the set up of camp. What were things that you liked? What were different things you found beneficial throughout your career where the organization can assist? To be honest with you, going to see what they’ve done in Chicago, they have gone above and beyond.
What are your specific thoughts on Caleb Williams?
He’s impressive. When you watch him, whether it be at Oklahoma/USC, you watch these splash plays that he can make, extending plays, making throws off-balance from different platforms and his ability to be accurate and drive the football from those positions, it’s really, really impressive. And it’s hard for me to understand as a guy who threw the ball for a living. Like how do you do that? It’s sometimes a head-scratcher. He’s got incredible ability to deliver the ball accurately from all kinds of different platforms and then I think also he’s really patient. He’s more athletic than I think he gets credit for, and he moves at such a slow pace in the pocket and I think that’s a good thing. He’s not faster than the play is developing and that’s another thing I look at and say, “This is really impressive.” And then being around him just a little bit at training camp and seeing his interactions with teammates, how he interacts with the coaches, there is a level of humility there as well, wanting to be coached, wanting to be coached hard, looking for guidance and kind of generally developing the good relationships with the players around him. That’s something you see in person.
The city has been buzzing about Williams’ potential and what he can mean to the organization. Are you aware Sid Luckman is pretty much the standard bearer at the position here?
I am a massive fan of the NFL so I am kind of vaguely aware of every organization’s history to a certain extent and know the concerns the Bears fans have had for a long, long time. I will say this, it is amazing being in Chicago and interacting with people outside of the organization, it does feel like there is a level of hope and optimism. When you feel like you have a guy like that that gives you a chance every week, whether that happens or not, but you feel like it gives you a chance and it’s moving in the right direction. It’s amazing what that does for an organization and a city.
You had success as a rookie in 2008 — the Falcons won 11 games that season — and that is difficult. How would you frame expectations for Williams this year? What’s realistic for him with what he’s got around him?
I think they can be very competitive. I think that’s fair to expect from this as a team. You look at what they did on the defensive side of the ball really the second half of the season and when you play defense like that, it gives you a chance every week and I like the pieces around him. I’m looking at it less from a statistical standpoint or what he’s going to do or a fantasy standpoint or what kind of numbers he’s going to put up. But I think he’s got the opportunity for them to be very competitive in the NFC North, which is a division now that is very good. But I firmly believe Chicago is right in the mix and it’s going to be a young, talented division that I think is going to be on the rise for the next four or five years and one that is going to be very competitive. To me, the expectation is he is going to continue to grow as the year goes on. He’s going to be better you hope in November, December, but I think they’ve got the talent around him to keep them in the mix and relevant as you get into those later months in the season.
You were on the sideline for the 2022 regular-season finale in Indianapolis as a member of the Colts. It was a game won by the Texans and it had huge ramifications here. It secured the No. 1 pick for the Bears. Have you and Poles ever chatted about that game
Never with Ryan, but I remember going into the locker room after that game like, “Holy cow!” I can’t believe what just happened in a tough way, obviously, in Indy wanting to finish that out with a win. Lovie Smith did a lot of good things for the Bears. That might be the best thing he’s ever done. It was interesting to see it from that perspective. It’s wild how the turn of events happened as a result of all of those things in the AFC, completely different conference, different division. The Bears trade that pick. Bryce Young goes to (Carolina) and they end up getting the No. 1 pick again because of what the Panthers did last year. The domino effect from that one play is pretty wild. That’s the beauty of the NFL, man, and how it’s set up. You don’t know what organization is going to affect another and what one play is going to affect another’s future.
How are you preparing for the new gig on “NFL Today?”
I don’t exactly know how to prepare myself. It’s kind of different from anything I’ve done up until this point. Calling games last year was a great experience and kind of learning as the year went on and how I needed to prepare myself. I felt like I got better as the year went on. I think that’s going to be the same case doing the pregame show. No. 1, we have an awesome crew. Really good people. To sit next to Bill Cowher and his wealth of experience not only as a coach, but really doing the show for so long and understanding how it works and doing those things is really impactful. And then Nate Burleson, who is as talented as anyone when it comes to performing on TV and engaging fans. J.J Watt, who I have known for a long time as a player and finally now get to play with him and not against him, is kind of nice. I was tired of playing against him. James Brown is a legend in the industry. I pinch myself thinking who I get to sit next to and then also think of the number of people who have sat at that desk in the past and the shoes I’ve got to fill in Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms and the job that they did for such a long time for CBS. Those guys are legends. I’ve got a lot of work to do to prepare myself to be the best I can be on air, and I’ve kind of viewed it as my responsibility to get out and see these young quarterbacks in training camp.
4. Unless I missed one, the last fullback (at least a dedicated fullback for the full season) Shane Waldron worked with was Heath Evans in 2008 with the New England Patriots.
Waldron was an offensive quality control assistant that season — his first in the league — and was promoted to tight ends coach the next year.
It’s something I have been wondering about since Matt Eberflus hired him because Waldron didn’t have a fullback in his offense the past three seasons as the Seattle Seahawks coordinator. Before that, he worked for the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay, who went away from having a fullback on his roster. When McVay and Waldron were assistants for Washington in 2016 on Jay Gruden’s staff, there wasn’t a fullback (I’m not counting the time Waldron spent between stints when he was in the United Football League, at UMass and spent one season at the prep level.).
Sixteen years after Evans and Waldron were together in New England, will there be a fullback for the Bears offense?
That question will be answered as we move toward Tuesday’s roster cuts. I think there is a decent chance Khari Blasingame is on the team — a projected 53-man roster is below — but there are myriad factors to consider.
Blasingame is 28 and is due to earn a base salary of $1.55 million after collecting a $50,000 workout bonus for the offseason program. It’s not about money or cap space, it’s whether Waldron has use for the position and if the Bears deem Blasingame a good fit.
Waldron talked about adapting the system and playbook to the players and skill sets, and that’s what resonated most to me when we discussed fullbacks and how scarce they’ve been on the rosters he has worked with.
“We had the tight ends,” Waldron said of the last three seasons in Seattle. “Just the way the roster was built. We had the tight ends utilized in that fullback role. With KB as our fullback in that role, we’re always going to cross-train different tight ends. To me, that’s how a roster works out. Love to be able utilize who we have and we happen to have a good one here.”
It’s interesting because if you study the development and growth of McVay and San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, they’re very similar. A lot of material from their playbooks is similar. Shanahan over the last five seasons has utilized a fullback more than anyone else in the league; McVay hasn’t employed one.
“Sean got away from it,” Waldron said. “When we were in Washington together, we also used the tight ends because we had Niles Paul and Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis. Niles was able to be a little bit of a move tight end similar to what we did with Gerald Everett in Seattle. When you go back and look at the tape, those tight ends are lined up in some fullback spots and to me, that is a value of having versatile tight ends. They can line up fullback, in-line, spread out and that’s really the direction those three tight ends took us in Seattle.
“It’s an offensive structure but then the personnel you have each year shapes it. Going back to L.A. with Sean from the transition from Washington to L.A., you ended having Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins. You wound up with some 11 personnel and we had some tight ends and we didn’t have a true fullback on that starting point roster. The offense sort of took shape to the players.
“Same as here. How the players play is how the offense can mold around them.”
That’s what all good coaches are going to say. Take your players and their skills and find ways to build and adapt within the structure. Some are better and more creative with that than others.
How much need is there for a fullback in this offense? Old-school fans will pound the table for the position. One play from preseason sticks in my mind. The Bears had third-and-1 from the Buffalo 9-yard line on the opening possession of that game two weeks ago. They went with 13 personnel — running back Khalil Herbert was in the game with three tight ends and a receiver. Herbert got stuffed for a 3-yard loss by cornerback Rasul Douglas; he tried to bounce it outside when he should have gone up the middle, where he probably would have got the first down. The play wasn’t blocked great, but it was good enough for him to move the chains. The point is on third-and-1 inside the 10-yard line, Waldron didn’t have the fullback in the game.
The Bears have three high-profile wide receivers and maybe more specific to this conversation, they’ve got some good tight ends. If the Bears want to utilize more 12 personnel — one running back, two receivers and two tight ends — how much use would there be for the fullback? Everett adds a dimension and Waldron sounds comfortable with him doing some of that stuff. I don’t think the team opted to pay Everett $6.5 million this season to be a backup or change-of-pace with Cole Kmet. I think it’s a signal they have more in mind with 12 personnel. Plus, there’s Marcedes Lewis in the tight ends room, and he’s as good of a run blocker as there is at the position.
Blasingame was on the field for 186 snaps last season (17%) and that was almost identical to his usage in 2022 (174 snaps, 18%). If the Bears figure they can involve a fullback 15% of the time or so, it will make sense given Blasingame has handled a few different roles on special teams, where he got 210 snaps last season. Waldron seemed positive about Blasingame and if the team wasn’t going to carry a fullback — had that been pre-determined — they would have cut him loose long ago to allow him a chance to land somewhere else.
Blasingame played Thursday night. In fact, he started the game as the offense opened with an I-formation.
5. A year ago today, tight end Tommy Sweeney collapsed during practice with the New York Giants and had to be carted off the practice field.
The team said that Sweeney had a “medical event” and was receiving care. It might be a good thing for his long-term health that a heart condition was discovered by doctors after that scare. The veteran missed the entire season, but received a diagnosis and treatment plan that put him on a path to not only healthy life, but the chance to play football again.
“I had a couple collapsed passouts on the field,” Sweeney said. “One was before a preseason game. One was before a practice. It was nothing crazy. Just kind of lost it for a little bit. I’m a little desensitized to it now, but yeah, it was scary.”
Sweeney was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a condition that affects the left ventricle of the heart and the walls become thick and stiff. Sweeney, who grew up in Ramsey, N.J., got treatment from a center specializing in HCM in nearby Morristown.
Sweeney said after some testing and the diagnosis, a treatment plan was formed. But the now 29-year-old knew it would wipe out the season after he spent four years with the Bills. For a bit, anyway, his future on the field was unknown.
“To actually be cleared to play, it was a couple months,” he said. “I was almost not expecting it to get going again. They were very confident we got it right … but there was a moment. It was kind of a long road. I am very grateful to be back. Modern medicine.”
Medication led doctors to feel confident that Sweeney would be safe playing football, and the Bears added the former Boston College product — who played in college with Dave Dudeck, who scouts the Southwest for the team — as depth.
Sweeney led the Bears with nine receptions in preseason for 86 yards and scored two touchdowns, including a 6-yarder against the Chiefs from QB Austin Reed. He lined up in the backfield some here. He’s got some versatility.
He knows it’s a numbers game this time of year — but a year removed from a frightening incident, Sweeney is glad to know his heart issue was identified and treated.
“This is a very good team and a very good tight end room,” he said. “Showing them I can do everything on offense, help on teams. That’s what I’ve been trying to accomplish.”
6. The Bears were No. 1 when it came to waiver claims after the roster reduction day last August, but they were not nearly as active as some, including myself, figured they might be.
A big part of that was probably a function of who was available, but the team wound up claiming only two players — defensive end Khalid Kareem and safety Quindell Johnson. There were two more additions after cuts — third quarterback Nathan Peterman and wide receiver/punt returner Trent Taylor — when the club shifted offensive linemen Teven Jenkins and Doug Kramer to injured reserve.
The Bears will be ninth in the waiver order next week, with the same order as the previous draft for the first three weeks of the season before it shifts to the current standings.
GM Ryan Poles was particularly busy two years ago when the team claimed six players on waivers. That was when the Bears were seventh in the waiver order. The only player left from that is cornerback Josh Blackwell, one of the team’s better special teams players. Clubs aren’t routinely finding treasures on the waiver wire.
Poles’ history can be informative the longer he’s in charge because you can get a basic idea of the number of players the team wants to keep at each position. Different factors — health is a big one — can influence decisions each year and a 53-man roster is never “set.” It’s always going to be fluid.
Here are the numbers at each position when the Bears established their initial 53-man roster the last two years:
Position: 2022 vs. 2023
- QB: 2/2
- RB: 3/4
- FB: 1/1
- WR: 7*/6
- TE: 3/3
- OL: 9/9**
- DL: 8/9
- LB: 6/5
- CB: 6/6
- S: 5/4
- ST: 3/3
* Wide receiver N’Keal Harry was carried on the 53-man roster and subsequently placed on injured reserve to begin the season.
** The Bears cut the roster to 52 at the deadline last year to clear a spot for G/C Dan Feeney, who was acquired from the Miami Dolphins for a sixth-round pick. Feeney became the 10th offensive lineman on the roster.
7. Projecting the Bears offense after cuts to the 53-man roster.
Quarterbacks (2): Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent
No real mystery here. Most teams carry only two quarterbacks, and expect the Bears to go that direction with Bagent in the No. 2 role. Brett Rypien, who has made four starts over four seasons, is a good bet to be re-signed to the practice squad.
The last Bears quarterback to start for an entire season was Jay Cutler in 2009, his first year in Chicago. In the 14 seasons since, the Bears have been forced to use three starters at the position in four seasons, most recently in 2022 and 2021. It should be noted QB1 has made 15 starts in six seasons during that span. Yes, the Bears would like to avoid using three starters this season.
Running backs (5): D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer and Khari Blasingame (fullback)
What was more of a committee approach last season — four players had more than 80 rushing attempts, including Justin Fields — looks like it will be more centered around Swift. Herbert was really good after initial contact in 2022 and not quite as good last season but he offers a little something different than Swift, and the team was really high on Johnson a year ago. Homer is one of the core special teams players, and the Bears have spent some time during training camp working him as a third-down back. I think Blasingame will stick around because he has ability on special teams and is well-regarded in the locker room.
I imagine the Bears will be eager to chat about Velus Jones and what he did here, cutting across the field on a 39-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds remaining in the third quarter. That’s what struck me. There was less than a minute remaining in the third quarter of the final preseason game and he was getting the bulk of his action. The Bears got a look at Homer to start the game in the backfield and then they turned to undrafted rookie free agent Ian Wheeler next.
Matt Eberflus said the Bears played Jones late in the game because they wanted to get more looks at him. I’m looking at it from the order in which running backs were used and that the Chiefs guys Jones ran wild on aren’t going to be playing for Kansas City soon. Maybe the Bears look at him as a long-term project, but my hunch is Jones is out.
Wide receivers (5): DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Tyler Scott and DeAndre Carter
The first four figure to be locked in, and this is as good as the Bears have been at the position since Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery were a formidable 1-2 punch. I believe Carter will stick and serve as the primary punt returner with a chance he is involved on kickoff returns as well. What I don’t know is if the Bears would be willing to go with only five receivers. But if they’re going to carry heavier numbers on the offensive line, at least to start the season, they have to trim somewhere. I’ve been thinking Dante Pettis would make the roster as a dependable veteran who also can return punts if needed, but that type of player is a lot easier to locate in October than a lineman if the need arises. Plus, Pettis was sidelined in practice this week, which complicates things.
Velus Jones Jr. is a consideration as well, but is there really a spot for him on offense? It feels forced, maybe even more so than the last two years, and was it telling that Jones didn’t get into the game until after Homer and Wheeler saw action at running back?
Tight ends (3): Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett and Marcedes Lewis
I kicked around the idea of the Bears keeping four at this position, perhaps opening a spot for Stephen Carlson or Tommy Sweeney. I also wondered about them releasing Lewis, especially if Blasingame makes the team. Ultimately, I stuck with three here.
Lewis signed a one-year, $2 million contract, and half of it is guaranteed. If he’s on the roster Week 1, the rest of it effectively becomes guaranteed. But the Bears really value Lewis’ presence and believe he can help on the field this season. Undrafted rookie Brenden Bates has flashed a little in camp and might be a nice fit on the practice squad. Carlson and Sweeney have had their moments too. Top to bottom, it has been the strongest this position has looked in training camp in a long time.
Offensive line (10): Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Ryan Bates, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Coleman Shelton, Matt Pryor, Kiran Amegadjie, Doug Kramer, and Jake Curhan
Nine was the number I had in mind for this position, but the more I looked at it, understanding Amegadjie just began practicing Monday and Bates has been sidelined for the last two weeks, I thought 10 might make more sense.
The Bates situation is a bit of an unknown. As I understand it, he’s dealing with a shoulder issue. Originally, it sounded like a maintenance deal, but he has been out for a while. With two weeks to go until the start of the regular season, there’s no reason to be overly concerned, but it has to be monitored.
So possibly only eight linemen are ready to go right now. Understanding Davis and Jenkins have had durability issues in the past, maybe it’s best to add an extra player.
This process got more complicated when Larry Borom left in the first quarter with a right ankle injury. He attempted to limp off the field but couldn’t put any weight on the leg and ultimately needed the cart to head to the locker room. That’s not what anyone wants to see. One source said he didn’t suffer a fracture, but I’m not sure the Bears have a full picture of what’s going on at this point. He’s headed for additional testing on Friday.
I’ve wondered about Borom all along because he hit a proven performance escalator in his contract and has a base salary of $3.116 million. My guess at the start of camp would have been that Borom would not make it. Before the game started, I had him on the list of 10 above because he offers positional flexibility — he can play tackle and guard. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve heard the front office and coaching staff highlight the importance of that as they look for this group to improve. Borom’s ability to play four spots could be a factor, but when you see a player carted off, that’s a bad sign.
I went with Kramer because he has had a pretty good preseason and until Bates is back in the mix, who will back up Shelton at center? Then, in the event Borom is out of the picture, I chose Curhan because he has some experience with nine starts in Seattle over the last three seasons.
If the Bears go with only nine linemen, that would be a signal that Bates is expected to be back very soon and the team doesn’t fear it will be a lingering issue.
8. Projecting the Bears’ defense after cuts to the 53-man roster.
Defensive line (9): Tackles Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens and Byron Cowart. Ends Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker, Dominique Robinson, Austin Booker, and Daniel Hardy.
Two things jump out at me here. First, the Bears need help at defensive tackle. Pickens has been out for the last week and I’m not sure Cowart has a great chance of making the 53-man roster, but the team has depth issues and there aren’t a whole lot of options on the street right now. Keep an eye on the Bears claiming a tackle on waivers or — who knows — maybe even swinging some type of modest trade. It helps that Walker has the ability to play inside, but Pickens was the fourth defensive tackle on the roster last season and he logged 25% of the snaps. They need Pickens back as soon as possible. He’s a good fit for the scheme and while Dexter has gotten much more coverage this summer, the hope is Pickens can handle a larger role. They also need some help.
“It’s not as strong and as deep as you would want so there is a concern there,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “We’re going to be looking at that. Cowart has done a nice job in there for the limited time he’s played. We have some options there but we’re definitely going to look at that.”
GM Ryan Poles explored the possibility of trading for Matthew Judon before he was shipped to Atlanta. The Bears couldn’t get a definitive feel for how Judon’s contract situation was going to play out and didn’t want to be caught in limbo. He would have been a nice addition and now it’s fair to wonder what the pass rush will look like with opponents surely scheming for ways to slow down Sweat. If you were watching “Hard Knocks,” you probably saw the team’s director of football administration Matt Feinstein remind Poles they traded a fourth-round pick in 2025 to get back into Round 5 this year and draft Austin Booker. They did that because they believe in him.
Hardy had a nice preseason. Will it translate into production when it counts? He looks like he could fit in on special teams. While there are a few questions at end right now, the Bears could have more pressing matters on the interior, especially if Pickens is out into the regular season.
Linebacker (6): Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Micah Baskerville and Noah Sewell
The Bears have impressive depth at cornerback and wide receiver, but this is a pretty good group. Ogbongbemiga was signed with an eye toward him being a core performer on special teams. Baskerville had a nice training camp and made some plays in preseason. I went back and forth for some time on Sewell, who missed time last summer with a groin injury and considerable time in camp this summer. He had a bad missed tackle in the game against the Chiefs. Carl Jones Jr. has been impressive and maybe the most impactful undrafted rookie free agent on the team. Coaches talk about his speed and how he flashes. It might be soon for them to move on from Sewell, a fifth-round pick last year, but Jones has had a better camp and preseason. That cannot be debated and Jones could probably help them more on special teams right now. Six seems like the right number, with special teams as a consideration. but the team could definitely roll with five.
Cornerback (6): Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Terell Smith, Josh Blackwell and Jaylon Jones
This group is pretty good with Johnson, one of the better at the position in the league. How good the Bears are at cornerback will depend in large part on how Stevenson performs. Opponents picked on him last season … is he up for the challenge? The Bears are five deep right here. Jones had a nice training camp and he brings value because he can play outside corner, can cover the slot and has done a lot on special teams. He’s got experience in all of those areas too.
I like Reddy Steward, the undrafted rookie from Troy, and that’s why I chatted with him early in training camp when he spent a week running with the starters at the nickel position. He’s done just about everything he can to enhance his resume, but this is a deep group and unless Jones is more injured than I expect — he missed a little time earlier this week — I don’t see a spot after Steward’s two-pick game.
“The first one was on the goalline and I am just reacting to the quarterback’s eyes and just doing my job,” Steward said. “Tyrique (Stevenson) was telling me, ‘Just let the play come to you. Don’t get antsy with it.’ That’s what I did. It came my way and I reacted.
“The second one was zone pressure. It was a good blitz by AC (Adrian Colbert). He came through and got some pressure on the quarterback, made him throw it a little short and I just reacted to it and scored. On the first one, I fell down. I thought I could have gone the distance but I got too excited and lost my feet. On the second one, I said, ‘I’m taking this one to the house.’”
Some veterans on the sideline made certain Steward got the football as a souvenir. He was appreciative. Now, he knows it’s a waiting game.
“I showed them that I am willing to compete,” Steward said. “I am not worried about the circumstances, where they put me in, anything. Whatever they need me to do, I am willing to compete. I feel like I have shown, God’s will, we’ll see. I feel like I competed.”
The Bears have nice depth at cornerback. Whether it’s enough to trade from, I don’t know. Maybe there is a cornerback for defensive tackle deal out there somewhere.
Safety (4): Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks and Jonathan Owens
Four is a pretty standard number for safeties. The team was fortunate to get Brisker back on the field at the start of this week after he missed the majority of training camp. Byard has been sidelined with what Eberflus termed a “soft-tissue” injury, but there should be no doubt he’s ready to face his former team in Week 1. One thing that has been interesting is the development of Hicks in practice. He’s maximized and expanded his opportunities at training camp. What will be interesting is to see is who slots in as the first safety off the bench. Owens looked like he would be that guy when he was signed in free agency. He’s got 30 starts over the last three seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans and figures to be a core special teams player along with Hicks.
9. Projecting the Bears special teams after cuts to the 53-man roster.
Special teams (3): K Cairo Santos, P Tory Taylor and LS Patrick Scales
Will Scales be available for the start of the regular season after not practicing for two weeks? Cameron Lyons has filled in and there are too many instances where the timing has been a little off, especially on field goals and extra points. Long snapping is all about precision. If Scales is sidelined next week, the hunch here is the team will consider veterans and bring in an insurance policy. There aren’t many good veterans on the street right now, but following cuts, there should be options.
Taylor has performed well in preseason and the rookie should be a significant upgrade to what the team has had. With a rookie punter (and holder), the Bears will likely place a premium on having an experienced snapper. That’s why bringing back Scales for his 10th season made sense.
10. The Bears will hold a light practice Saturday at Halas Hall and then closed walk-throughs on Sunday and Monday before players are off Tuesday when the roster must be reduced to 53.
Cuts are due by 3 p.m. Teams can begin forming practice squads on Wednesday after the personnel notice is released. Clubs can have a maximum of 16 players on the practice squad or 17 if one qualifies as an international player. Punter Tory Taylor will no longer be an exempt international player.
10a. The Fox team of Adam Amin, former Bears quarterback Mark Sanchez and Kristina Pink will call the season opener Sept. 8 against the Titans at Soldier Field. Sanchez is also a former USC quarterback and saw a lot of Caleb Williams in person. In fact, I saw Sanchez at the Trojans pro day in Los Angeles back in March. Makes a lot of sense for the network to assign Sanchez to this game because he should be pretty insightful.
10b. The Bears had 12 sacks in preseason and allowed just two. The defense had five interceptions and the Bears didn’t throw any.
10c. Welcome to the regular season.
