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Bear Digest

Projecting the Best Chicago Bears Roster Battles and Likely Outcomes

Some veterans will have their roster spots challenged and other spots have no clear-cut favorite at this point in the offseason after the draft and free agency.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears backup slot cornerback Josh Blackwell emerges from the scrum after saving the day with an onside kick recovery against Green Bay.
Bears backup slot cornerback Josh Blackwell emerges from the scrum after saving the day with an onside kick recovery against Green Bay. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Bears' offseason roster is nearly full after a round of reported undrafted free agent signings yet to be confirmed by the team.

Following rookie camp on Friday and Saturday, it could change when they offer contracts to tryout rookies and veterans who get invited for the workouts and meetings, but this won't really affect much about the roster.

Regardless, the signings made then do not usually enter into training camp job battles with a playoff team. They're players at the back of 90-man offseason roster and the spots being fought for are those near the 53-man marker for the regular season.

Much can change after OTAs and minicamp end in mid-June. The reason for this is players are battling even in the offseason. Nothing gets cemented when they're wearing shorts and T-shirts in non-contact work but they can sure plant seeds in their coaches' minds.

There is always uncertainty after a draft but in the minds of GM Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson, the certainty they achieved from it are plenty of great roster battles.

"We found great alignment and that created a lot of good clarity, which resulted in a good draft," Poles said. "And I know we got better as a football team; we added competition and usually when you add competition, good things happen."

At least until something more gets proven on a practice field, here are the hot spots on the Bears' roster, the best roster battles where jobs will be decided, and predicted outcomes.

DE Daniel Hardy vs. Jonathan Garvin

Neither one is a good fit for the Dennis Allen defensive scheme because they don't tip the scale at least at 260 pounds. Garvin has some playing time from Green Bay and 1 1/2 career sacks. Hardy has been around without sacks. Because they can't be sure about the health yet of Shemar Turner and Dayo Odeyingbo, it could be a case of keeping five edges, with Turner as a swing tackle/end.

Predicted outcome: Hardy makes it because he led the team in special teams tackles last year by a ridiculous margin.

DT cage match

Rookie Jordan van den Berg and veterans James Lynch, Kentavius Street and Neville Gallimore are in a four-man battle for two spots. Gallimore has a bit better resume than the other two veterans as a backup defensive tackle, especially as a pass rusher. Street spent a big chunk of last year on Atlanta's practice squad, so he's already been released. Lynch does something both Street and Gallimore haven't done, though, and that's stop the run. There will be a real squeeze at this position, especially with end Shemar Turner also available to play it.

Predicted outcome: Neither Lynch nor Street make it and one winds up as a practice squad player. They aren't going to cut their sixth-round pick, Jordan van den Berg, and Gallimore' successful experience prevails over the other two.

RB Roschon Johnson vs. Brittain Brown

Johnson's third season with the Bears needed to indicate progress and an ability to be productive in the new attack. Instead, he played in only seven games due to injuries and had two carries on the year, without a single pass reception after making 50 in his first two seasons. Brown was a suprise as a street free agent who came in at the end of training camp and then contributed when given the chance in three games, with a touchdown against the Bengals on a 22-yard run, and five runs for 37 yards.

Predicted outcome: Johnson retains his third back status because of he's the biggest Bears back (227 pounds), has been a respectable blocker, is versatile and was valued as a special teams player.

WR Jahdae Walker vs. Omari Kelly

No slight against veteran practice squad types Maurice Alexander and JP Richardson, but Kelly figures to be the one fighting with Walker for a sixth and last roster spot. His ability as a deep threat last year at Michigan State led to a 13.3-yard average per catch and he ran a 4.48-second 40. Kelly has SEC experience with Auburn, averaged 15.2 yards per catch for his entire college career and returned 20 punts for a very respectable 11.7-yard average with one TD. Walker played only two years in Division I for Texas A&M with good yardage numbers (14.6 ypc) but just 64 receptions. He did make six catches for 14.5 yard a catch last year in his nine games with one start but hasn't proven to be a valued special teams asset even if he has a great end zone dance.

Predicted outcome: Walker's experience lets him stick and Kelly winds up with the practice squad because they have other special teams contributors, and it's special teams that decided many of these jobs.

LB Ruben Hyppolite II vs. Nephi Sewell

It's no certainty Jack Sanborn makes the team, either, but his past in Chicago and with special teams coordinator Richard Hightower gives him an edge. They kept five linebackers last year and wound up needing more due to injuries, but it's difficult to see how they'd keep more than five on the 53-man again. Noah Sewell's late-season Achilles tear could mean he starts on IR. So there would be a spot available behind T.J. Edwards, Devin Bush, D'Marco Jackson and Sanborn. Hyppolite was a draft pick and Sewell is a player picked up who has the advantage of knowing Dennis Allen's defense from New Orleans.

Predicted outcome: Sewell wins the job. Hyppolite had plenty of chances last year without showing enough. He'd need to be at an entirely different level than he showed last year to win a battle over Sewell, even with the 4.39-second 40 speed he had at the combine.

T Kiran Amegadjie vs. Jedrick Wills Jr.

Considering Theo Benedet's experience with the offense last year, he rates a solid backup behind Braxton Jones. Wills might even be a close challenger to start at left tackle. It's an unknown now, but if it comes down to his ability to stick on the roster in a battle with 2023 fourth-round pick Kiran Amegadie, this isn't close. Wills' experience, with 57 NFL starts, is going to give him a huge edge and could even lift him to the starting role. Amegadjie has the longest arms of any lineman on the roster but is facing the longest odds to make the roster of all the linemen they had last year. They're not keeping five tackles, and converting him to guard isn't really a help for his career when Luke Newman and Jordan McFadden are on the roster, in addition to draft pick Logan Jones as a backup center.

Predicted outcome: Five offensive line backups are probably the limit and Amegadjie would either be cut or be cut and then possibly become a practice squad player. Considering he was a third-round pick, some other team needing offensive linemen would likely have interest.

LS Luke Elkin vs. Beau Gardner

They chose not to sign veteran Scott Daly back, and Elkin was with team in training camp last year before being cut, signed with the Raiders late in the season but wasn't brought back, and then returned to the Bears. Gardner was Georgia's longsnapper and won the Patrick Mannelly Award as the nation's best long snapper.

Predicted outcome: This will be closer than it looks considering Gardner was highly respected in college last year. Long snapper is a job difficult to judge and players coming out of college frequently have to kick around on practice squads or on the street before they finally break through in a regular role with a team. It's what Elkin has done. The fact they brought him back before they even knew if they even knew who the collegiate long snapper would be that they could bring into camp says they thought a lot of him from last training camp. But how can you cut the winner of the Patrick Mannelly Award when you're the NFL team Mannelly played for over a record number of games?

Cornerback scrum

Last year they kept three backup cornerbacks behind starters Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevnson, but soon were scrounging around for healthy bodies. Considering Malik Muhammad is their fourth-round pick and Zah Frazier was a fifth-rounder who didn't get to practice or play as a rookie, unless either is an abysmal failure they would get preferred treatment. It's going to come down to Blackwell, Smith and Jones battling for one spot.

Predicted outcome: Blackwell is more susceptible to being cut because the signing of Cam Lewis gives them another player who can be a better backup slot and also a backup safety. Expect Blackwell to be retained, though, because Hightower would probably block the Halas Hall door if they dispatched him. He won a game and kept them from losing another last year on special teams. Smith is coming off an ACL tear and it's questionable if he even fits this scheme. He was drafted and billed as a good zone cornerback and the Bears are playing man-to-man more heavily than ever. Jaylon Jones wasn't on the roster last year but was brought back due to injuries, so he'd be among first to go.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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