The NFL’s deadline to get down to a 53-man roster is earlier than ever this year. Teams need to be compliant by 5:00 pm (CT) on Sunday, August 30. Yes, tomorrow!
That means by this time tomorrow we’ll know who the initial 53-man roster for the Chicago Bears’ 2026 season will be, and the quest for Super Bowl LXI is on! Our partners at FanDuel Sportsbook have the Bears odds to win it all at +2700, the 16th-best.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as the Bears get down to 53.
Players with fewer than
four credited seasons will go through waivers, and once players clear waivers — this year’s waiver deadline is Monday, August 31 at Noon (CT) — they are eligible to be signed to a team’s 16-man practice squad. A 17th practice squad spot is available if the player qualifies and is designated as an International Player.
We have all the specifics on the waiver wire process here.
We’ll launch our practice squad tracker on Sunday.
If a club has a player on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list — the Bears have three such players — or the Active/Non-Football Injury or Illness (NFI) list, then they must select one of the following options:
- Move the player to the Reserve/PUP or Reserve/NFI, whichever is applicable, and any player on the Reserve PUP or NFI list will need to remain there for at least 4 games
- Terminate or request waivers with the designation of a failed physical or NFI, whichever is applicable
- Request waivers
- Terminate the contract
- Trade the player
- Take him off the list and add him to the active 53-man roster
Teams are also permitted to place up to two players on injured reserve at the 5:00 pm deadline. Those players will be sidelined for at least 4 games, with up to eight players eligible to be designated to return (10 if the team makes the playoffs).
Any player put on IR before the cut-down deadline will be ineligible to play the entire season. The Bears currently have 4 such players.
We’ll track all the Bears’ cuts and transactions here:
Since teams have already begun cutting players, if you see a player you’d like the Bears to sign or claim, share them in the comment section below.
