The Chicago Bears open the 2023 NFL regular season against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 10 at Soldier Field.
The makeup of the Bears roster has changed since the start of training camp. Chicago addressed concerns with its pass rush by signing Yannick Ngakoue, the top free agent defensive end, and adding veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis.
Everything this offseason has been geared towards helping Justin Fields elevate the Bears offense in his third year as a starting quarterback. Fields made strides in July and August despite not always having his full supporting cast available. Perhaps the biggest development that emerged from training camp lies within Chicago's secondary. Assuming it's healthy, it may be the strongest unit on this team.
But the position group that looked the most stable heading into training camp -- the offensive line -- is raising the major questions ahead of Week 1. The OL is dealing with a handful of injuries that may affect roster decisions and how active the Bears are in adding after cut-down day.
The 90-man offseason roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection for the Bears.
QUARTERBACK (3): Justin Fields, PJ Walker, Tyson Bagent
The way Bagent, a Division II product, has performed in practices and preseason games cannot be ignored. He's looked like the best backup on the roster and may prove difficult in trying to sneak onto the practice squad. The contract Walker signed this offseason has more than $2 million guaranteed, so even though he's struggled, the 28-year-old veteran makes his way onto the initial 53.
RUNNING BACK (4): Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, D'Onta Foreman, Travis Homer
Herbert remains the front-runner for the role of lead running back, but the Bears have utilized both Foreman and Johnson with the first-team offense throughout camp. Chicago's by-committee approach could bring more balance to a backfield where all three rushers are capable of handling a considerable rushing load, along with Homer, a change-of-pace back and special teams contributor.
FULLBACK (1): Khari Blasingame
Once again, the Bears worked Blasingame into the passing game during training camp. Will it finally show up during a regular-season game?
WIDE RECEIVER (6): DJ Moore, Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown, Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr.
The Fields-to-Moore connection appears to be everything the Bears hoped it would be when they traded the No. 1 overall pick to Carolina for a No. 1 wide receiver. Claypool's hamstring injury has limited him throughout August. The best-case scenario is the former second-round pick gets back to practice next week to give himself time to build his chemistry with Fields. The Bears say they still see a role for Jones on offense on jet sweeps and gadget plays, despite his issues returning punts.
TIGHT END (3): Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis
Chicago averaged 5.4 yards per play with multiple tight ends on the field last season (third-highest in the NFL) and have a versatile position room. At this stage of his career, Lewis knows he'll be relied upon for his blocking while Tonyan can be a big threat in the passing game. Kmet, who signed a four-year contract extension in July, is a combination of both as the team's top tight end.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Lucas Patrick, Larry Borom, Alex Leatherwood, Ja'Tyre Carter
As it stands, five of Chicago's top six offensive linemen are dealing with injuries. The Bears will have to carry Jenkins onto the initial 53-man roster to place him on injured reserve, given the leg injury he sustained is expected to sideline him for weeks. With Whitehair, who has a hand injury, filling in for Jenkins at left guard and Patrick taking over at center, Chicago can likely stash backup center Doug Kramer on the practice squad. Borom has emerged as the Bears' swing tackle, but health and depth concerns could lead Chicago to be active with waiver claims next week.
DEFENSIVE LINE (9): Yannick Ngakoue, DeMarcus Walker, Justin Jones, Andrew Billings, Dominique Robinson, Terrell Lewis, Rasheem Green, Gervon Dexter Sr., Zacch Pickens
The Bears struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks last season, so carrying five defensive ends is necessary for the edge rusher rotation. The team could still look to add after roster cuts but have been impressed by Green, who they signed this offseason. Lewis had a strong preseason and makes the roster over Trevis Gipson, who he'd been in a competition with throughout camp. Rookies Dexter and Pickens have continued to learn behind Jones and Billings and factor into the team's plan for its interior pass rush.
LINEBACKER (5): Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Noah Sewell, Mykal Walker
Injuries have affected the linebacking corps throughout camp which led the Bears to claim Walker, who has 20 NFL starts and had a career-best 107 tackles for Atlanta last season (he'll also be an asset on special teams). The Bears maintain there are no concerns with Edmunds' availability for Week 1 despite an undisclosed injury that sidelined him for nearly three weeks. Micah Baskerville, an UDFA from LSU, made some big plays in preseason games and gets stashed away on the practice squad.
CORNERBACK (6): Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Terell Smith, Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell
Stevenson is in line to start opposite Johnson at outside cornerback. Injuries hurt Smith's chances for that job, but he impressed Bears coaches enough to rotate in with the starters during camp. Jones and Blackwell are dealing with injuries but make the roster as backups. Blackwell logged the most special teams snaps (56.19%) of any returning Bears player from last season.
SAFETY (4): Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks, A.J. Thomas
Hicks and Thomas have filled in on the first-team unit while Jackson and Brisker deal with injuries. Hicks emerged last season as a core special teams player while Thomas had an interception against the Titans and nearly came away with another vs. the Colts.
SPECIALISTS (3): Cairo Santos, Trenton Gill, Patrick Scales
There was never a kicking competition in training camp, but Chicago's special teams battery was solidified on Aug. 8 when the Bears released rookie kicker Andre Szmyt. The cohesion between Santos, Gill and Scales gets to see a second season.