The Chicago Bears have unveiled their initial 53-man roster. It’s important to remember that this is their initial 53-man roster and not their final 53-man roster.
When you look at the construction of the roster, most of it makes sense. On defense, they have the traditional depth at each position group that most NFL teams utilize. The Bears have currently kept 5 defensive ends on the roster, but their depth looks questionable.
It’s very possible the Bears add a defensive end and push Daniel Hardy or
Dominique Robinson to waivers and perhaps to the practice squad. It’s also possible that the Bears plan to bring back Tanoh Kpassagnon after week one. That’s a maneuver NFL teams will do with veterans to avoid having their contracts guaranteed for the entire year.
While we can speculate that the Bears might want to add a defensive end, when you look at the offensive side of the ball, it’s almost a certainty that the Bears will add another running back into the mix.
Traditionally, teams carry 9 OL with 8 of them active on Sundays. The Bears currently have 10 on the 53. Teams will traditionally carry 5 or 6 wide receivers. You can find teams with either. Usually, if teams carry 5 WRs, they usually carry 4 TEs. The Bears, of course, only have 3 TEs.
When you look at running back, the Bears only have three on the 53-man roster. The only way that happens is traditionally when the team is also carrying a fullback. Ben Johnson’s offense is not doing that.
If the Bears decide to keep 25 offensive players and 25 defensive players. It would seem that the Bears have either 1 extra offensive lineman (Kiran Amedgadjie) or 1 extra wide receiver (Jahdae Walker).
With Travis Homer on IR and Roschon Johnson and Kyle Monangai on the 53-man roster, but both of them are dealing with injuries, the Bears do not have the proper healthy depth needed for week one against the Minnesota Vikings.
There are a few notable running backs who would be available to the Bears. Audric Estime was cut by the Denver Broncos, and veteran Cam Akers was released by the New Orleans Saints.
If the Bears are interested in trying a back without NFL experience, the Seattle Seahawks cut Damien Martinez. Martinez was a 7th-round pick in this past draft but didn’t make the initial 53-man roster. The Seahawks almost certainly would bring Martinez back to their practice squad, but the Bears would have an opportunity to pounce before they do.
It’s always possible the Bears could trade for a running back. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a deep running back room and might be willing to part with Tank Bigsby or Travis Etienne. There have also been rumors that Breece Hall, Devin Singletary, Antonio Gibson, or Miles Sanders could be available.
Regardless of what path Ben Johnson, Ryan Poles, and the Bears choose to make, it’s almost guaranteed that the three running backs currently on the 53-man roster will not be the only three on the roster when the Bears face the Minnesota Vikings in just under two weeks.
