Biggest Concern For Chicago Bears at Each Offensive Position Group After 53-Man Cuts

The Chicago Bears trimmed their roster down to 53 players over the weekend, and the team has made a few moves since then, which is why we always label it an "initial 53-man roster."

While that's in the rearview mirror, nothing has changed in terms of many of the concerns throughout the roster we have talked about all offseason long, and there are some new ones to talk about.

With that said, let's start on the offensive side of the ball and look at the biggest concern at each position group for the Bears ahead of Week 1.

Quarterback

Concern: Caleb Williams' accuracy.

The Bears' ability to take a step forward following a season in which the team won a division title and a playoff game will be dependent upon Caleb Williams taking another step forward.

Williams was good last season, but he is not all the way there yet when it comes to cementing himself as the Bears' franchise quarterback and locking down a huge extension.

"It's good to almost feel like you've got it," general manager Ryan Poles said back in March when asked about an extension for Williams.

"If you go with a traffic light, it went from red as a rookie to yellow. You can creep forward a little bit and start having some of those conversations to anticipate (an extension). But we need him to give us a green light. I think we'll find out this year about his progress."

One of the points of emphasis for Williams has been his accuracy, which declined in his second season. Head coach Ben Johnson is seeing progress on that front, but we won't know just how much better Williams is until the games matter.

“It’s trending upward, and that’s really what we want to see is it continue to get better," Johnson said.

If Williams can improve in 2026, the Bears will likely take another step in the right direction as a team and an extension will be a matter of when, not if.

But if he doesn't, the Bears will likely regress, as we've seen them do over the past two decades following a playoff berth, and the former No. 1 overall pick's seat will start getting hot.

Running back

Concern: Kyle Monangai's injury.

The Bears had an elite rushing attack in 2025 with Monangai and D'Andre Swift, and that duo is going to be the engine of the offense once again in 2026.

But there remains a chance Chicago won't have its duo in Week 1.

That's because Monangai is dealing with a hyperextended knee that has kept him out of practice and still has him week to week, Johnson said on Tuesday.

Roschon Johnson is a sizeable downgrade from Monangai as a runner, so we would expect to see Salvon Ahmed get the work behind Swift if Monangai can't go in Week 1. That said, Ahmed won't adequately fill Monangai's shoes.

Wide receiver

Concern: Lack of experienced, proven weapons.

There is a ton of promise in the Bears' wide receivers room, but there is plenty of uncertainty, also.

Kalif Raymond is the elder statesman in the room and is the only wideout with more than two years of NFL experience.

Rome Odunze has been in the NFL for two seasons, but he also missed five games last season and hasn't cemented himself as a No. 1 wide receiver yet. Luther Burden is Chicago's No. 2, but he has just one year of experience under his belt.

Jahdae Walker is in the same boat as Burden, except he has 41 less catches after recording just six last season.

Last but not least, we have rookie Zavion Thomas, who figures to slot in at No. 5 on the depth chart. Thomas is no doubt the biggest wild card of the bunch, although he showed great potential with his offensive explosion in the preseason finale.

The lack of experienced, proven weapons leaves the receivers room as a question mark, which is concerning when you consider how important the group is for Williams' progression.

On the bright side, Odunze, Burden, Raymond and Walker have all looked good this offseason, and Thomas has definitely had his moments, too. Hopefully that carries into the regular season.

Tight end

Concern: Regression for Colston Loveland.

Loveland looked like a star in the second half of 2025, but we have seen plenty of players take the league by storm in Year 1 before regressing in Year 2.

Given what we just touched on with the Bears' receivers, Chicago can ill-afford to see that happen with Loveland, who might be the team's best pass-catcher after he led Chicago in receiving yards in 2026.

To be clear, we fully believe Loveland cements himself as an elite tight end in the NFL this coming season, and we believed that even before his impressive offseason. But can't rule out the opposite happening.

Offensive line

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo. — Chicago Bears offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (75) warms up during minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Concern: Left tackle.

The good news is, the Bears are going to have Ozzy Trapilo ready to roll at some point in the first four weeks after he avoided injured reserve on cutdown day. The bad news is, we don't know exactly when he'll be ready.

We also don't know how good he's going to be in his first season back from a torn patellar tendon. And, truth be told, Trapilo has a very small sample size as a starter, so he has not cemented himself as the long-term solution at left tackle yet.

Braxton Jones will start at left tackle, assuming the Bears don't insert Trapilo there immediately once he's ready.

The Bears have been pleased with what they've seen out of Jones this offseason, and the hope is that he'll be better than what we saw in 2025 now that he's further removed from his fractured fibula.

But we also can't say that for sure until we see it after Jones got himself benched last season. Thankfully, Chicago has Trapilo in the fold to give the team multiple options at the position.

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