Final Bears 53-man roster projection: Velus Jones Jr. makes strong closing argument (2024)

Sometimes a player can have his preseason moment. A touchdown, an interception, a sack, an impact play that gets him on a roster. Those are the fun stories.

The Chicago Bears have had them this summer with Austin Booker and Daniel Hardy on defense and Tyson Bagent on offense.

Velus Jones Jr. may have solidified his roster spot Thursday night in Kansas City. He rushed for 111 yards on 13 carries, including a 39-yard touchdown — granted, against backups — but showing enough potential with his new role.

Then there are the injuries.

Offensive tackle Larry Borom entered the preseason finale on the roster bubble. When he was carted off with an apparent leg injury, that led to an update of the 53-man roster projection below. Borom’s higher-than-usual salary-cap hit for a reserve already put his status in question. But he has plenty of experience as a swing tackle, and he’s been the most reliable player behind Braxton Jones on the blind side.

Now, his status is in doubt based on the severity of his injury.

The Bears’ 4-0 preseason record, capped by a 33-21 win over the Chiefs, doesn’t mean much. It’s something for coaches and players to be proud of, but ultimately It’s the individual performances — and health — that matters.

Teams have to cut their rosters to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon. Here’s our final projection of the Bears’ initial 2024 roster.

Quarterback (2)

Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent

Fishbain: Bagent left no doubt who the No. 2 quarterback is — and it really has never been a true competition in camp. He has always taken the second-team reps. I’m guessing the Bears want to get Austin Reed to the practice squad. The question is Brett Rypien and how valuable he is to the quarterbacks room — enough to keep three QBs on the 53 or two on the practice squad?

Jahns: Bagent has had an outstanding camp and preseason. I wonder what we would be covering if the Bears still had Justin Fields as the starter and Bagent did what he’s doing now. Would Fields distinguish himself or would there be another quarterback controversy for the Bears? While Fields is competing with Russell Wilson to be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting QB, Bagent has played well enough to earn praise from general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus. They both think he’s more than a backup QB.

Running back (6)

D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Velus Jones Jr., Khari Blasingame

Jahns: It’s a deep position group because of special teams. Everyone but Swift should have a role in them. Herbert was never on the bubble. He solidified his standing as the Bears’ No. 2 back with Johnson dealing with an undisclosed injury. Jones can be listed here or with the receivers. He has increased his roster value by showing off more position flexibility.

Fishbain: We’ve never taken Jones off the projection, regardless of his position. It’s not only what the Bears expect from him on kickoff returns, but he can also be a gunner on punts. Remember, this team kept Trent Taylor last year, and he played a handful of snaps on offense per game. Homer is a key special teamer, as are Johnson and Blasingame.“Hard Knocks” fan favorite Ian Wheeler should stick on the practice squad.

.@VelusJr weaves his way 39 yards for the TD ⚡️

📺: FOX32 pic.twitter.com/stguYQKTGV

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 23, 2024

Wide receiver (5)

DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Tyler Scott, DeAndre Carter

Fishbain: It’s going to be hard enough for Scott to get reps in games considering not only the three receivers ahead of him but the two tight ends. The No. 5 receiver spot may be up for grabs and consume conversation right now, but we’re talking about depth and special teams, and someone who might not even be active on Sundays. Carter had his best NFL season with Bears receivers coach Chris Beatty and can be versatile on offense. He had a 16-yard punt return in the preseason finale, while Dante Pettis was sidelined with an apparent injury — he missed Wednesday’s practice.

Jahns: Our toughest decision came down to Carter over Pettis for the final receiver spot. Pettis flashed more in camp and in the preseason. But that came mostly with Bagent. Carter has been on the field with Williams more than Pettis during camp. He appears to have a potential role in the offense beyond being an option to return punts and kicks.

Tight end (3)

Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, Marcedes Lewis

Jahns: You can make an argument for keeping a fourth tight end. But other position groups have a better case. The Bears are set with Kmet, Everett and Lewis. But I’d expect the Bears to keep at least two tights on their practice squad.

Fishbain: Undrafted rookie Brendan Bates and veterans Tommy Sweeney and Stephen Carlson have made impressive plays this preseason. If the Bears didn’t keep a fullback, I could see a fourth tight end, but it’s more likely two of those three get to the practice squad. Bates might have the most promise with his size but also may be the toughest one for the Bears to get through waivers.

Offensive line (10)

Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Ryan Bates, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Coleman Shelton, Jake Curhan, Matt Pryor, Kiran Amegadjie, Bill Murray

Fishbain: As Amegadjie works into game shape, I’d expect him to be inactive for a while, and that might lead the Bears to start the season with 10 offensive linemen — especially if Bates is still injured. Murray has had a strong summer and gets that 10th spot. At tackle, when will the Bears feel comfortable putting Amegadjie in a game, if necessary? Until they reach that point, they’ll need vets like Curhan and Pryor — assuming Borom isn’t healthy enough to make it.

Jahns: With Bates also deemed “week to week” with his injury, it’s important to maintain some depth for the build-up into Week 1. What if he suffers a setback? Murray also made our last projection because of what Eberflus said about him. Our final decision was Curhan over Borom, who was injured Thursday night. You never want to see a player fighting for a roster spot suffer that. But Curhan played for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron over three seasons in Seattle, including making nine starts. It wouldn’t be surprising if he made the roster over Borom even if he was healthy.

Defensive line (8)

Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, DeMarcus Walker, Zacch Pickens, Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson, Daniel Hardy

Jahns: This group would definitely look different — and better — if Matthew Judon’s name was listed right after Sweat’s. But it wasn’t meant to be. Eberflus and Poles should feel good about Booker’s development. His teammates are excited by it.

“I’ve reiterated so many times: he’s just a tremendous talent, really light years ahead of where a rookie should be,” Sweat said. “But I’m excited for the year and what he brings to the table.”

Fishbain: For all the well-deserved talk about Hardy over the past month, that could still wind up being Jacob Martin’s spot. Defensive coordinator Eric Washington said Hardy’s production “has really stood out” and that he’s been “extremely active.” But Martin, who got hurt early in camp, was the No. 3 defensive end all spring. If the Bears know he can be healthy next week, he could still make the team. Robinson’s special teams value and improved run defense have boosted his resume. Keep an eye on defensive tackle. Pickens left Monday’s practice with an injury and we didn’t see him the rest of the week. If that’s a week-to-week thing or longer, the Bears will need another interior lineman.

Linebacker (5)

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

Fishbain: This is probably the easiest position to fill out, especially now that Sewell appears to be healthy. His durability continues to be a challenge, but it’s too soon to give up on a recent fifth-round pick with his athleticism. Maybe Micah Baskerville gets an opportunity here, either over Sewell or as the sixth linebacker. He had a very good preseason on defense, so that could come down to special teams. Undrafted rookie Carl Jones Jr. should be able to get to the practice squad.

Jahns: Sewell wasn’t included in our previous projection, but his return did change that. And, yes, I know he missed a tackle against the Chiefs. We haven’t seen much of him since he was drafted last year, but he did display some pass-rush ability at Oregon. I’m not saying he’s going to do that for the Bears defense. But those abilities could help him excel within the new kickoff rules.

Cornerback (7)

Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Terell Smith, Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones, Greg Stroman

Jahns: This should be one of the best secondaries in the NFL — and it looks deep at cornerback. Smith, who is in his second season, has starter potential. Washington also singled out Blackwell, the backup nickelback, for his camp. “He has really stepped up,” Washington said. The only question is whether injury concerns at other positions force difficult decisions here, though the practice squad and its fluidity will always be an option.

Fishbain: Jones did miss some time last week, but he’s consistently been someone who can step in when needed on defense, and, like Blackwell, is a core special teamer. It really speaks to the depth of this group that Smith, the top reserve, would probably start on several teams. He reminded everyone of his abilities with an interception against Cincinnati. No one is throwing at Johnson, Gordon was outstanding against the Bengals and Stevenson is as confident as anyone. This will be a fun group to watch. The Bears will hope to get undrafted rookie Reddy Steward to the practice squad, especially after his two-interception performance in K.C. If they are worried, he could make the team over Stroman.

🚨 REDDY STEWARD PICK-6 🚨

📺: FOX32 pic.twitter.com/AiTEJ4sOE1

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 23, 2024

Safety (4)

Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks, Jonathan Owens

Fishbain: We went back and forth here with veterans Tarvarius Moore and Adrian Colbert, two experienced safeties who have also played for special teams coordinator Richard Hightower. Either (or both) are certainly in the mix for final spots to both add depth at safety and help on special teams. Colbert had a hit against the Chiefs that led to a pick-six, and Moore had a strong open-field tackle. A pleasant surprise in camp? Hicks did a really nice job filling in for Brisker.

Jahns: The issues for Moore, Colbert and others toward the end of the Bears roster is that the injuries among the offensive linemen could result in needing an extra roster spot for them. The players that make up the bottom of rosters change often. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Colbert or Moore in a Bears uniform this season even if they are let go this weekend.

Special teams (3)

K Cairo Santos, P Tory Taylor, LS Patrick Scales

Jahns: There are more questions than you think. How healthy is Scales? Will he be ready by Week 1? If it’s yes, then I imagine that you stick with the veteran over Cameron Lyons. Or do you still cut Lyons and put him on the practice squad to snap for Santos and Taylor until Scales gets healthy?

Fishbain: It’s possible the Week 1 long snapper isn’t on the practice squad. If Scales, the team’s longest-tenured player, will miss time, the Bears could look to add someone with more experience. Then again, Lyons has worked with Santos and Taylor all summer. I do wonder if Corliss Waitman, the left-footed punter who’s had a solid preseason, will get a practice-squad spot to give the Bears an emergency leg and someone who can give them different looks in practice.

(Top photo of Velus Jones Jr.: Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)