Bears 2024 projected depth chart ahead of roster cuts

The Chicago Bears are in the midst of roster cuts ahead of Tuesday's deadline (follow our tracker here), where they're trimming the roster from 90 to 53 players.

General manager Ryan Poles has some tough decisions ahead of him, which he noted earlier this offseason as he said it would be hard to make this team given the depth. We attempted to do the same in our final 53-man roster projection, which saw the departures of some preseason standouts and fan favorites.

With that in mind, before the Bears officially trim their roster to 53 players, here's a look at our current projected depth chart:

Quarterback

• Starter: Caleb Williams

• Reserve: Tyson Bagent

The Bears welcomed Caleb Williams to the roster as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Williams enters the best situation for a No. 1 rookie quarterback ever with a slew of weapons, an improved offensive line and a potential top-five defense. Tyson Bagent returns for his second season, where he's one of the better backups in the league. The big question is whether Chicago will carry a third quarterback on the active roster between Brett Rypien and Austin Booker.

Running back

• Starter: D'Andre Swift

• Reserves: Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, Velus Jones Jr., Travis Homer

Chicago added a dynamic running back in D'Andre Swift in free agency, giving them a true receiving threat out of the backfield. Swift joins a group that also features Khalil Herbert and last year's rookie Roschon Johnson. There was competition between those core three, where undrafted rookie Ian Wheeler stood out. Unfortunately, he landed on injured reserve ahead of roster cutdowns. Meanwhile, Velus Jones Jr. has found new life at running back, where he made a strong case for a roster spot (coupled with special teams value). With Wheeler out for the year, Travis Homer gets the final spot.

Fullback

• Starter: Khari Blasingame

Chicago returns veteran fullback Khari Blasingame, who once again figures to serve a key blocking role in the ground game. He's the only fullback on the roster, so, assuming Shane Waldron wants to carry a fullback, he'd be a lock.

Wide receiver

• Starters: DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze

• Reserves: Tyler Scott, DeAndre Carter

The Bears made a splash trading for Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Allen joins star DJ Moore, and both are coming off 1,000-yard seasons. Factor in the addition of Rome Odunze, who fell to Chicago at No. 9, and Williams will have one of the league's best receiver trios in his rookie season. The Bears also return Tyler Scott, who earned the WR4 role. As for the last spot, DeAndre Carter gets my nod considering his special teams impact as a return specialist.

Tight end

• Starter: Cole Kmet

• Reserves: Gerald Everett, Marcedes Lewis

Chicago added a quality tight end in veteran Gerald Everett to serve as a complement to Cole Kmet, upgrading their tight end group in a big way. The Bears also brought back 19-year veteran Marcedes Lewis on a one-year deal. New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron likes to utilize two tight-end sets, so we should be seeing plenty of all three this season.

Offensive line

• Starters: Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins, Braxton Jones, Coleman Shelton, Nate Davis

• Reserves: Ryan Bates, Kiran Amegadjie, Matt Pryor, Bill Murray

The Bears return four starters from a season ago in left tackle Braxton Jones, left guard Teven Jenkins, right guard Nate Davis and right tackle Darnell Wright. Center was the weak link among the unit, and Chicago added Ryan Bates (via trade) and Coleman Shelton (via free agency) to compete for the starting center job. Right now, Shelton is the projected center with Bates week-to-week with an injury. Meanwhile, the Bears drafted an eventual potential starter in Kiran Amegadjie, who has the versatility to play tackle and guard.

Edge rusher

• Starters: Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker

• Reserves: Austin Booker, Darrell Taylor, Dominique Robinson

The one question mark on Chicago's defense is the starting job opposite Montez Sweat at edge rusher. While DeMarcus Walker is a solid rotational piece, the Bears needed to add to stud complement to Sweat to really elevate the pass rush. They found a solid prospect in Austin Booker, who has an incredibly high upside and could become a starter down the line. Chicago also recently made a trade for former second-round pick Darrell Taylor, who will factor into the rotational off the edge opposite Sweat.

Defensive tackle

• Starters: Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter

• Reserves: Zacch Pickens, Chris Williams

Second-year pro Gervon Dexter is stepping into the role of starting three-technique following the departure of Justin Jones in free agency. Chicago also returns veteran Andrew Billings, who signed a two-year extension last season and played a key role in the Bears resurgent run defense. Zacch Pickens is entering his third season, where he should see additional reps behind Dexter. Chicago also acquired Chris Williams in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, and he figures to serve as depth with Pickens currently sidelined with an injury.

Linebacker

• Starters: Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn

• Reserves: Noah Sewell, Amen Ogbongbemiga

Linebacker is one of Chicago's deepest position groups, which features returning starters T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, who played key roles in the defense's late-season turnaround. The Bears also return Jack Sanborn, who's been a key contributor at SAM linebacker when the Bears are in their base defense, and Noah Sewell, who played sparingly as a rookie and served primarily on special teams. Following Dylan Cole's departure, Chicago added special teams ace Amen Ogbongbemiga in free agency.

Cornerback

• Starters: Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon

• Reserves: Terell Smith, Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones

The biggest move the Bears made this offseason was re-signing star cornerback Jaylon Johnson to a long-term extension and bringing back a core piece of the secondary. Cornerback is also one of the deepest position groups on the roster, which features returning young starters Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson along with core depth piece Terell Smith, a fifth-round rookie from a year ago. Josh Blackwell and Jaylon Jones also figure to make the roster given their experience and special teams contributions.

Safety

• Starters: Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard

• Reserves: Jonathan Owens, Elijah Hicks, Tarvarius Moore

Chicago parted ways with Eddie Jackson this offseason, due to his massive salary cap hit, and added All Pro safety Kevin Byard to pair with returning third-year pro Jaquan Brisker. The Bears also addressed a key reserve role with the signing of Jonathan Owens, who joins Elijah Hicks as the primary backups. Tarvarius Moore gets the final nod in my projections.

Specialists

• Starters: Cairo Santos (K), Tory Taylor (P), Patrick Scales (LS)

The Bears return kicker Cairo Santos, who signed a three-year contract extension last year, and long snapper Patrick Scales, who was re-signed to a one-year deal. Chicago drafted college football's best punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round, adding a valuable weapon to the roster. Taylor's impressive leg strength allows him to change games with his ability to flip the field.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears 2024 projected depth chart ahead of roster cuts