The Chicago Bears open the 2022 NFL regular season against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 11 at Soldier Field.
The last five weeks of the preseason were focused on establishing a standard based on coach Matt Eberflus' HITS principle, which stands for hustle, intensity, takeaways and (playing) smart. "I didn't buy in right away," cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. "It was just something that I wasn't familiar with, something I wasn't used to doing. ... I'm definitely used to it now. It's natural. It's what the expectation is."
As the Bears began a culture shift during training camp with a new front office, new coaching staff and a host of new personnel, the team found itself having to sort out issues with players from the previous regime. Veteran pass-rusher Robert Quinn said he expects to remain with the Bears after skipping the entire offseason program. Second-year offensive lineman Teven Jenkins went from the subject of trade talks to projected opening day starter at right guard. And after failing to agree on a new deal and demanding a trade, linebacker Roquan Smith decided to play out the final year of his contract.
Those are among the storylines as Chicago tries to figure out how to build the best roster around 23-year-old quarterback Justin Fields.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection.
QUARTERBACK (2): Justin Fields, Trevor Siemian
Chicago's new offense aims to play to Fields' strengths by implementing a heavy dose of play-action and designed rollouts while trying to capitalize on his arm strength, but the second-year QB will have to work through the growing pains that come with learning a new scheme. And if he's going to make that second-year jump, it will be without significant additions to the skill players around him. Fields struggled as a rookie as the Bears finished 6-11.
RUNNING BACK (4): David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, Trestan Ebner, Darrynton Evans
Montgomery, who is in a contract year, didn't play much this preseason but looks ready to shoulder a heavy load in 2022. Herbert is a solid No. 2, while Ebner, a rookie, has proven his value as a change-of-pace back and with his contributions as a returner.
FULLBACK (1): Khari Blasingame
Chicago is trying to use Blasingame in a multitude of ways, including as a pass-catcher.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, Velus Jones Jr., Equanimeous St. Brown, N'Keal Harry, Dante Pettis
Injuries hit Chicago's receiving corps hard. Harry underwent surgery on his left ankle and will need to be on the 53-man roster before the Bears can place him on injured reserve with the hope of a return this season. It's uncertain when Pringle (quad) will be back, and Jones has dealt with injuries on and off the past month. St. Brown, Pettis and Sharpe have flashed during the preseason - especially Pettis as of late with his ability as a receiver and returner -- but that's not enough for the Bears to feel like Fields has enough weapons around him outside of Mooney. Scouring the cuts of 31 other teams for another receiver is a move Chicago must make after cut-down day. Fortunately, the Bears are also seventh in the claim order.
TIGHT END (4): Cole Kmet, Ryan Griffin, James O'Shaughnessy, Chase Allen
Kmet's rapport with Fields is a bright spot for the Bears' offense. The third-year player has a chance to cement himself as a foundational piece in a scheme that featured plenty of targets for the tight end group during the preseason. Chicago carries four TEs on the 53, with Allen making the cut based on his special teams contributions.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Braxton Jones, Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, Teven Jenkins, Larry Borom, Riley Reiff, Sam Mustipher, Michael Schofield, Ja'Tyre Carter
The expectation when Chicago signed Reiff and Schofield on the eve of training camp was that the Bears would plug in both veterans to start at left tackle and right guard, respectively. The reality is those jobs belong to two young players -- Jones, a rookie fifth-rounder, at left tackle and Jenkins at right guard. Borom started camp running with the second team at right tackle but has been taking all the first-team reps as of late. Patrick hasn't seen any action this preseason after injuring his right hand on the second day of camp but hopes to be ready to start Week 1 at center.
DEFENSIVE LINE (8): Robert Quinn, Justin Jones, Angelo Blackson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Trevis Gipson, Mario Edwards Jr., Khyiris Tonga, Dominique Robinson
Quinn's return solidified the starting D-line. If he picks up where he left off after his record 18.5-sack season in 2021, the Bears may look to trade him to a contender ahead of October's deadline. Muhammad, who played for Eberflus in Indianapolis, has been a disruptive pass-rusher in camp, while Robinson's high ceiling intrigues coaches.
LINEBACKER (5): Roquan Smith, Nicholas Morrow, Matt Adams, Jack Sanborn, Joe Thomas
Smith is back in the fold and switching to weakside linebacker in Eberflus' 4-3 defense. Morrow will wear the green dot, meaning he'll be getting the plays from coaches and relaying them to his teammates. Sanborn made his way onto the roster via his performance on special teams.
CORNERBACK (6): Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Kindle Vildor, Duke Shelley, Thomas Graham Jr., Lamar Jackson
With Gordon impressing early in the slot, Vildor is likely the starter opposite Johnson at outside corner. The depth at cornerback is a concern, which is why Jackson makes the 53.
SAFETY (5): Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Dane Cruikshank, Elijah Hicks
Brisker was terrific in his lone preseason game against Kansas City, where he ended up breaking his right thumb, which required surgery. The Bears are optimistic the rookie will be able to play against San Francisco. In the meantime, Houston-Carson has filled Brisker's role and also took some reps at the nickel.
SPECIALISTS (3): Cairo Santos, Patrick Scales, Trenton Gill
Chicago is still determining whether Santos or Gill will handle kickoff duties, but the team finally landed on stability within the kicking battery. Santos was stellar on field goals and PATs in preseason games, and Gill has proved to be worth the seventh-round pick the Bears spent in May.