American Football

Bears 53-man roster projection after 2024 NFL Draft

April 28, 2024

NFL: Chicago Bears Press Conference — David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

WCG’s lead draft analyst shares his early 53-man roster predictions for the Bears after the draft.

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and what a draft it was for the Bears.

Though the wide expectation was that the Chicago Bears would select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick, their strategy with the No. 9 pick wasn’t quite so set in stone. However, the first round ended with Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze heading to the Windy City, an outcome that many in the fanbase had been clamoring for for months.

Now that the draft picks have been made and undrafted free agents are settling into the organization, I figured now would be a good time to make early 53-man roster predictions.

This, of course, is pretty early to be making these picks, so don’t put too much stock into these at this stage. There’s still plenty of offseason football to be played, and the Bears may try to sign a veteran or two leading up to the season like they did with Yannick Ngakoue last year. This is purely for fun, so enjoy!

QB (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien

The first two quarterbacks seem to be set in stone. While UDFA Austin Reed from Western Kentucky is a solid signing, I’m going with the veteran to take that QB3 role.

RB (4): D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Khari Blasingame

Swift, Herbert and Johnson all seem like locks to make the team, and Homer’s two-year overlap with new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron could make him a valuable asset. Waldron didn’t get as much fullback use as Luke Getsy did, but there’s still enough of a role for him on special teams to contribute.

WR: DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr., Dante Pettis

The Bears have as good of a wide receiver trio as any team in the NFL currently. Scott had an underwhelming rookie season last year but still offers developmental upside as a WR4. Jones’ roster spot should also be safe with the new kick return rules favoring his game, while Pettis gets the edge over the likes of Nsimba Webster and Collin Johnson due to special teams experience.

TE: Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, Stephen Carlson

After signing Everett, the Bears have a rock-solid tandem at the tight end position. The only problem is that there’s only one tight end on the roster. It’s difficult to operate with just two tight ends, so Carlson gets the nod for a spot.

OL: Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Kiran Amegadjie, Ryan Bates, Ja’Tyre Carter, Matt Pryor

I have Larry Borom as a potential trade option with a guarantee resulting in a pay increase in 2024. The rest of these picks seem somewhat safe, though. Amegadjie and whichever one of Bates or Shelton provide the Bears with much improved OL depth, while Carter and Pryor have enough experience now to roster spots on the team.

EDGE: Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker, Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson, Jacob Martin

If there’s any position I expect the Bears to make a free agency move at, it’s edge rusher. Maybe they bring back Yannick Ngakoue? Maybe they target another EDGE? It’s still arguably their biggest need on the roster, but Booker gives them a developmental piece with plenty of potential down the line.

DL: Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, Zacch Pickens, Keith Randolph Jr.

I could see Dexter taking a big leap in 2024 after a promising rookie season. Billings will provide steady run support, and Pickens has the tools to develop heading into Year 2. The last defensive tackle spot is pretty wide open, but I really like what Randolph brings to the table as a polished undrafted free agent with good tape at Illinois.

LB: T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Jack Sanborn, Noah Sewell, Amen Ogbongbemiga

No surprises here. The four top returning linebackers in terms of snap counts make the team again, while Ogbongbemiga was brought in as a depth add with significant special teams experience from his time with the Chargers.

CB: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Terell Smith, Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell

Jones and Blackwell both saw significant playing time on special teams for the Bears last year, making them the best additions for the team’s CB5 and CB6 spots. The other four figure to be locks, with the first three having the potential to form one of the best starting cornerback groups in the game if Gordon and Stevenson progress.

S: Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Owens, Elijah Hicks

Byard figures to be an upgrade on paper over Eddie Jackson, while Owens is a much-needed backup addition to a safety room that ran thin last year. Hicks seems like the best bet to crack the roster in the other second-string role, given his bigger workload when Jackson got hurt last year.

ST: Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor, Patrick Scales

After the Bears’ investment in Taylor as a fourth-round pick, it’s safe to say he’s expected to take over the starting punter spot from Trenton Gill. Gill might get looks from other NFL teams and could see a better chance at playing time elsewhere, so I’m not including him as a practice squad member for that reason.

Practice squad (16):