Projecting Bears Bubble Boys and Final Roster Cuts
After Thursday the fate of numerous Bears players who have endured the offseason without workouts, numerous COVID-19 tests and one of the oddest preseasons imaginable will be decided.
It's a shame many of these players will be cut after they've endured some of the situations they've faced.
It has to happen. The Turk, the NFL's mythical creature of the cut, is coming for them.
The numbers on this year's roster are skewed by the NFL's roster expansion. It's still a 53-man roster, but they can borrow two players each week for practice and game-day eligibility on the 53-man roster.
Some call this a 55-man roster but that's being awfully generous. It's still 53 men with two other rotating positions coming up off an expanded 16-man practice squad.
The practice squad itself can't be viewed as a part of the roster since the players are not protected. They are free agents.
So the Bears will have some tough cuts to make.
Here are Bears perceived to be on the bubble and the final roster with logic. Remember, in some cases the roster will change just a week into the season. In this case, the David Montgomery injury situation affects their numbers.
Running Back
The Bubble Boys: Artavis Pierce. His status on the 53-man roster seems to be largely dependent on David Montgomery's health status for the opener. At this point, it would look like Pierce will have to be on the regular roster and will not be cut. When Montgomery is entirely healthy, it would be a surprise if they kept Pierce because of the numbers crunch. Napoleon Maxwell is a possible practice squad addition but the Bears will be watching other teams' cuts closely to see if they can come up with a more experienced option than Maxwell, and possibly someone who could be better than Pierce or Nall.
The Backs (5): David Montgomery, Tarik Cohen, Ryan Nall, Artavis Pierce, Cordarrelle Patterson.
Wide Receivers
The Bubble Boys: No one. Keeping more than six wide receivers would be a luxury the Bears can't afford, but no one after the top six appears to have ascended to make this group.
The Receivers (6): Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Javon Wims, Riley Ridley, Darnell Mooney, Ted Ginn Jr.
Tight Ends
The Bubble Boys: Eric Saubert, J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horsted, Ahmad Wager.
All tight ends in the bubble except Wagner have shown up, Saubert especially earlier as a receiver and Horsted later as one. In the end, that fourth tight end spot should go to Holtz because of his run-blocking ability and experience moving all around the offense as a blocker. They'll be risking the loss of Horsted and/or Saubert by putting them on practice squad. It goes with the decision. Wagner is an obvious player to retain for practice squad if they decide he has enough upside from what they've seen. To the visible eye at practice, it hasn't been there but the Bears may have other ideas from what they're seeing on film. This is a fluid situation and because of the running back situation they could go with three tight ends at the outset and use Nall as an H-back or fullback/blocking back instead of Holtz, at least until a roster spot is freed up by Montgomery returning to health.
The Tight Ends (4): Jimmy Graham, Cole Kmet, Demetrius Harris, J.P. Holtz.
Offensive Line
The Bubble Boys: Corey Levin, Alex Bars, Lachavious Simmons, Arlington Hambright.
Keeping nine offensive linemen on the roster is a luxury the Bears can't afford because of the number players at other positions. It's preferable, but not possible. So deciding between Levin an Bars is difficult. They'll have to put both of their seventh-round draft picks on practice squad and expose them to other teams snooping.
The Offensive Linemen (8): Cody Whitehair, James Daniels, Bobby Massie, Charles Leno Jr., Germain Ifedi, Rashaad Coward, Corey Levin, Jason Spriggs.
Quarterbacks
The Bubble Boys: Tyler Bray.
The Mitchell Trubisky-Nick Foles battle has raged while Bray is in the background. He knows the offense but has never really played in NFL games beyond a couple snaps. Veterans who might not have qualified for practice squads in other years now can go on the list and this rule was made for Bray.
The Quarterbacks (2): Nick Foles, Mitchell Trubisky.
Defensive Line
The Bubble Boys: Abdullah Anderson, Lee Autry, Trevor McSwain.
Anderson would be the sixth defensive lineman if not for numbers crunches elsewhere on the roster. After Montgomery's injury has healed a week or two into the season, expect Anderson back on the 53-man roster. The Bears saw enough in him as he developed under line coach Jay Rodgers to keep him protected.
The Defensive Linemen (5): Akiem Hicks, Bilal Nichols, Roy Robertson-Harris, John Jenkins, Brent Urban.
Edge Linebackers
The Bubble Boys: Ledarius Mack, James Vaughters.
Khalil Mack's little brother has shown good football instincts, but not enough has been seen of his physical abilities yet to warrant a 53-man roster spot. Vaughters has flashed more pass-rush ability at times than Isaiah Irving, and probably more than rookie Trevis Gipson, but the Bears aren't cutting Gipson after spending a 2021 fourth-round pick to get him and the rest of the outside linebackers are locked into spots. Look for Ledarius Mack on the practice squad, and maybe even Vaughters.
The Edge Linebackers (5): Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Isaiah Irving, Barkevious Mingo, Trevor Gipson.
Inside Linebackers
The Bubble Boys: Jamar Smith, Keandre Jones.
One of these two undrafted rookies must remain on the 53-man barring the signing of a veteran from elsewhere. And that veteran signing is probably essential considering neither backup Joel Iyiegbuniwe nor Josh Woods has any real experience within the defense. Smith has been a pleasant surprise with his great speed and pass coverage ability.
The Inside Linebackers (5): Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Josh Woods, Jamar Smith.
Safeties
The Bubble Boys: DeAndre Houston-Carson, Sherrick McManis, Marqi Christian.
McManis looks as dependable as ever on special teams, as does Houston-Carson. Christian is supposed to have this ability as well, and hasn't been a poor addition. It's just numbers here and McManis can do more in the secondary as a former cornerback and slot corner in this defensive scheme.
The Safeties (5): Eddie Jackson, Deon Bush, Trevor Gipson, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Sherrick McManis.
Cornerbacks
The Bubble Boys: Duke Shelley, Kindle Vildor, Stephen Denmark, Xavier Crawford.
Shelley has had more of a presence than in his first year while Vildor at first struggled but looked to have made strides by the middle of last week. Crawford has quietly played solid football but needed to make some big plays and in the visible portion of training camp never did.
The Cornerbacks (5): Kyle Fuller, Jaylon Johnson, Buster Skrine, Kevin Toliver II, Kindle Vildor.
Specialists
The Bubble Boys: PK Eddie Pineiro, PK Cairo Santos.
Nagy has already announced the intention of having two kickers available but there is no way they can afford to stash both on the regular roster. Currently Pineiro is a question with a groin injury. Because he has had a history with this and spent all of 2018 on injured reserve with a groin injury, he would look to be the possible practice squad kicker.
The Specialists (3): P Pat O'Donnell, LS Patrick Scales, K Cairo Santos.
The Potential Shockers: Edge rusher Isaiah Irving, safety Sherrick McManis and tackle Jason Spriggs are cut. McManis could be deemed old enough to let go and keep Christian. Or they could just cut both. Trimming down to four edge rushers with Vaughters and Ledarius Mack as practice squad players might allow them to keep an extra DB or tight end. With Spriggs, the old saying is you can't make the club from in the tub. Spriggs went out with a knee injury almost immediately at camp, after having injury troubles throughout his Green Bay career. He might be on IR and open up a roster spot. The Bears could simply rely on Coward and Bars as swing tackles then, with Simmons on the practice squad as a potential future tackle.
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