Chicago Bears 53-Man Roster Projections 2.0: Who's Staying and Who's Getting Cut?

The Chicago Bears kicked off training camp two weeks ago, and a few noteworthy developments have occurred thus far.

Coby Bryant is hurt, Kyle Monangai is not, Jordan van den Berg and Kaden Davis are well on his way to receiving gold jackets, and Logan Jones is a surefire bust. The knee-jerk reactions will surely age well, as the pre-August observations always do.

We made our predictions for the 53-man roster a few weeks ago, and that prediction has also gotten shaken up a bit since camp started. A few players on the roster bubble have thrived, while others have fallen flat.

How could the 53-man roster shake out at this time next month based on the latest updates from camp? And will they even be able to field enough players with them dropping like flies at Saturday's practice??

53-man roster prediction

QB (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum

RB (3): D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Salvon Ahmed

WR (5): Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, Kalif Raymond, Zavion Thomas, Jahdae Walker

TE (3): Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Sam Roush

OL (9): Braxton Jones, Joe Thuney, Garrett Bradbury, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright, Logan Jones, Theo Benedet, Jedrick Wills, Jordan McFadden, (Ozzy Trapilo - IR)

DL (10): Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter Sr., Dayo Odeyingbo, Neville Gallimore, Shemar Turner, Daniel Hardy, Jordan van den Berg, Kentavius Street

LB (6): Devin Bush, T.J. Edwards, D'Marco Jackson, Keyshaun Elliott, Jack Sanborn, Tony Fields II, (Noah Sewell - IR)

CB (6): Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Malik Muhammad II, Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell

S (5): Dillon Thieneman, Coby Bryant, Cam Lewis, Xavier Woods, Elijah Hicks,

Specialist (3): K Cairo Santos, P Tory Taylor, LS Beau Gardner

Notable changes since the start of training camp

Salvon Ahmed and Roschon Johnson practicing at training camp — Aug 5, 2026; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Salvon Ahmed (36) and running back Roschon Johnson (23) run on the field during training camp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Salvon Ahmed stays over Coleman Bennett

Running back Salvon Ahmed has been one of the biggest surprises through the first two weeks of training camp. He will not only challenge Roschon Johnson (more on him later) for his job, but we think he'll also outright win the RB3 battle. Meanwhile, I was admittedly higher on Kennesaw State undrafted rookie Coleman Bennett than I should've been two weeks ago. It doesn't seem like he's made much of an impact at camp based on the reviews from local media in attendance.

Luke Newman gets cut

Final roster cuts are a numbers game. Guard Luke Newman could become an unfortunate victim of that fact. The injuries to their secondary could see them keeping one more safety until Coby Bryant is back in the lineup (and potentially after that point). With Newman playing sparingly last season, they probably like their odds of getting him back on the practice squad.

Jaylon Jones stays over Terell Smith

Speaking to injuries to members of the secondary, cornerback Terell Smith seemingly cannot stay healthy. While that wouldn't be the end-all be-all if the team's star nickelback wasn't afflicted by the same curse, it becomes somewhat of a death knell based on their current circumstance. Jaylon Jones' versatility (and health) should give him the edge. As long as there aren't hard feelings, Smith would be another strong candidate to wind up back on the practice squad with how sparingly he's played through his first three years.

Xavier Woods makes the roster

This is an obvious one. Safety Xavier Woods has 121 career starts under his belt. He's their clear contingency plan after Bryant suffered his injury. With his recovery timeline still seemingly up in the air, he could provide a substantial impact early in the year.

Other notable cuts

Kiran Amegadjie and Theo Benedet on the practice field — Jul 31, 2026; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie (72) and offensive tackle Theo Benedet (79) walk on the field during Training Camp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kiran Amegadjie: I know Kiran Amegadjie has been getting his fair first-team reps, but he hasn't received nearly as much praise as Jedrick Wills through the first two weeks. The fact that they've also been cross-training Wills on the right side seemingly makes him their clear choice as the swing tackle. He also won't be able to supplant Theo Benedet with his added role as a TE in jumbo personnel.

Caden Barnett: Caden Barnett was a highly-regarded undrafted free agent signing. However, he hasn't really been talked about much at camp (besides the fact that he got into a scuffle with Jordan van den Berg). While that's not always a negative with an offensive lineman, it doesn't really help when he needs to stand out to stick around. They probably like their odds of getting him back on the practice squad.

Ruben Hyppolite II: The Bears' decision to draft Ruben Hyppolite II in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft was always a questionable one. 15 months later, it has yet to become any clearer. He actually showed signs of life at Sunday's practice, but he'll have to build upon it if he wants a puncher's chance to stick around. With the added competition they added to the room, I'm betting against him at this point.

Roschon Johnson: An injury to Kyle Monangai opened the door for Roschon Johnson to stake a claim on his roster spot in the first week of training camp. Unfortunately, it doesn't really sound like he made the most of it based on everything we've heard from camp. Salvon Ahmed did, though. He's still got a chance to stick around if the team keeps four backs, but I'm not sure they will this year with tough decisions elsewhere.

Kaden Davis: Wide receiver Kaden Davis is the clear front-runner in the annual conversation of training camp hero. He had the local media buzzing practically every day, and was seemingly a standout near the red zone. Davis might make some fans if he builds on the early hype in the preseason games. However, he stands no chance to crack the top five at the position, and I don't really think they'll keep six receivers.

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