The Bears must trim their roster to 53 men by Tuesday afternoon. That means roster projection SZSN is nearly over.

Aww shucks. You just hate to see it go.

We’ve got one more submission for you, and there’s a twist. Scott Bair – that’s me, and it’s the last time I’ll refer to myself in the third person – has filled out the Bears’ 53-man roster projection with a defense of those selections.

New Marquee Sports teammate Nicholas Moreano will offer his take on those selections and a counterproposal that he believes will suit the Bears better.

Let’s kill the preamble here and get right to the projection:

Quarterbacks (3)

• Caleb Williams
• Tyson Bagent
• Case Keenum

Analysis: The Bears could probably get by with Williams and Bagent, last year’s No. 1 overall pick and an upper-lever backup who has earned the coaching staff’s trust. Keenum still has great value in the quarterback room, as someone with experience as a starter and a backup who has been thrust into action. He’s willing to share that knowledge and can step in if necessary. That’s worth a roster spot.

Nick’s take: No argument from me on the quarterbacks. General manager Ryan Poles has shown he values the position, with signing Bagent to a two-year, $10 million contract, and keeping Keenum is also an investment in the room.

Running backs (4)

• D’Andre Swift
• Roschon Johnson
• Kyle Monangai
• Travis Homer

Analysis: The Bears have some injury issues here, with all but Swift dealing with an ailment. Could we see a 2024 rule applied here, one that states two players can be moved straight to injured reserve, with a designation to return, without being on the original 53-man? Maybe, but we don’t know the severity of injury to the last three on this list. It seems like Brittian Brown would be the first add in that instance.

Nick’s take: The Bears’ running back room is hurting right now with injuries, but the group listed above is likely who the Bears keep on the roster. Once Johnson returns from injury, he should serve as the Bears’ power back in this offense. Mongangai has also shown he will lower his shoulder when given the opportunity.

Receivers (6)

• DJ Moore
• Rome Odunze
• Olamide Zaccheaus
• Luther Burden III
• Devin Duvernay
• Jahdae Walker

Analysis: I struggled over this one. I generally prefer five receivers, especially with two versatile tight ends capable of playing out wide and in the slot. Walker was added, I fear, due to recency bias after the preseason finale, where he was spectacular on the final drive. Walker also has real special teams value, which is why he gets a spot.

Nick’s take: Here is where most of the fanbase will disagree with me, but I kept five wide receivers on my 53-man roster. As great as Walker has been in the preseason, it was going to be a tall ask for any fringe pass catcher to make this team. Right now, Burden can’t even get first-team reps, which illustrates how well Zaccheaus has performed throughout training camp and the preseason. Walker does play special teams, but the Bears already have a designated veteran in Duvernay to take return responsibilities. Walker did everything he could to make this a difficult decision for the Bears, but he is a prime candidate to make the practice squad.

Tight ends (3)

• Cole Kmet
• Colston Loveland
• Durham Smythe

Analysis: The Bears could go heavier with a fourth player, but Kmet, Loveland and Smythe have all the tight-end bases covered.

Nick’s take: Ben Johnson has a talented duo with Kmet and Loveland. Smythe provides the tight end room with a veteran who should be used sparingly throughout the season.

Offensive linemen (9)

• Braxton Jones
• Joe Thuney
• Drew Dalman
• Jonah Jackson
• Darnell Wright
• Ozzy Trapilo
• Theo Benedet
• Ryan Bates
• Luke Newman

Analysis: Exposing last year’s third-round pick to waivers seems crazy, especially after he entered with an injury that kept Kiran Amegadjie out most of his rookie camp. But Jones, Benedet and Trapilo beat him out, and this coaching staff wasn’t around for his selection. The Bears will surely hope the Yale product clears waivers and can be added to the practice squad. Any regular of these projections knows how much I like Bill Murray, but Newman’s emergence and Bates’ versatility keep the Bears covered at all three interior spots.

Nick’s take: I agree with all nine of my colleague’s selections, but I’m adding one more with Amegadjie. It’s not a good look to have three players surpass him on the depth chart at left tackle, but he was selected in the third round in last year’s draft. We’ve seen Poles in the past hang on to players longer than he should’ve, like Velus Jones Jr. Amegadjie hasn’t helped himself to deserve a spot on the 53-man roster, but this may be too early to punt on a player that clearly stood out to Poles just a year ago.

Defensive linemen (10)

• Montez Sweat
• Grady Jarrett
• Gervon Dexter Sr.
• Dayo Odeyingbo
• Andrew Billings
• Tanoh Kpassagnon
• Dominque Robinson
• Shemar Turner
• Daniel Hardy
• Chris Williams
• Austin Booker to IR with designation to return

Analysis: Turner has to be on the roster, but it seems highly unlikely he’s ready for the regular season after missing most of camp with an ankle injury. The Bears will need support inside until Turner’s ready, which may take some time, and they have depth on the inside.

Also, Ben Johnson said that Austin Booker will be out a few weeks, making him an ideal candidate to head straight for IR with a designation to return. That opens up a spot for Hardy, a hard worker and energetic special teams player.

Nick’s take: Again, Bair and I are on the same page. With Jarrett not playing in the preseason, Williams started in his place. The Bears trust Williams more than Zacch Pickens at this point, so that earns the veteran defensive lineman a spot on the team.

Linebackers (5)

• Tremaine Edmunds
• T.J. Edwards
• Noah Sewell
• Ruben Hyppolite II
• Amen Ogbongbemiga

Analysis: This is a strong group, with Edmunds and Edwards as starters, Sewell as a strongside option and Hyppolite as a backup with great speed. Ogbongbemiga has excellent special teams value.

Nick’s take: This is the exact group I have at linebacker. The position group does have some practice squad candidates, especially with Power Echols.

Cornerbacks (6)

• Jaylon Johnson
• Kyler Gordon
• Tyrique Stevenson
• Nahshon Wright
• Josh Blackwell
• Nick McCloud

Analysis: Wright and McCloud have earned spots on the roster and are valued as likely reserves. Jaylon Johnson needs to come off the non-football injury list here. If not, he would revert to a reserve-NFI list and miss the first four games. That isn’t happening. Gordon had an extensive warmup before Friday’s game, which was a good sign. Losing Terell Smith is a blow, but this position group remains deep and strong.

Nick’s take: The cornerback room has top-end talent with quality backups. McCloud has played in place of the injured Gordon at starting nickel throughout training camp and the preseason. Wright also has played well during training camp at outside corner, but took a step back with his performance against the Chiefs. Not mentioned in our list is 2025 fifth-round draft pick Zah Frazier. He didn’t participate in training camp for personal reasons, so it would be a stretch for him to make the active roster. He should be a practice squad candidate given his upside and size at 6-foot-3, 186 pounds.

Safeties (4)

• Kevin Byard III
• Jaquan Brisker
• Jonathan Owens
• Elijah Hicks

Analysis: Byard said that the Bears have four safeties capable of starting. He’s right. This position group was easy to pick.

Nick’s take: This is the same group that made the 53-man roster last season. No reason to change it now.

Specialists (3)

• Cairo Santos
• Tory Taylor
• Scott Daly

Analysis: Well, duh.

Nick’s take: Yeah, same.