5 Takeaways from the Chicago Bears' first depth chart of the preseason

After a brief period of shock that rookie Roschon Johnson was listed as the fifth running back, an updated version showed Johnson as the RB3, much more in line with expectations.

There were a few other noteworthy items to be gleaned from the Bears' depth chart, mainly regarding some veterans from the Ryan Pace era who may be on their way out if they stick at their current spots.

Here are five takeaways from Chicago's first depth chart.

Trevis Gipson and Kindle Vildor are buried.

The NFL, perhaps more than any other league, is all about "what have you done for me lately." For defensive end Trevis Gipson and cornerback Kindle Vildor, the answer is not much.

As a result, both are now at the bottom of the depth chart.

Gipson had his best season in 2021 when Khalil Mack went on injured reserve. He totaled seven sacks and five forced fumbles in nine starts. He regressed in 2022, however, totaling just three sacks.

Vildor has always seemed to be on the verge of taking a leap in his career and has played admirably when given the chance, but now there are six cornerbacks ahead of him.

Maybe the 4-3 base defense the Bears switched to last season is partly to blame for their current predicament. Regardless, Gipson and Vildor seem to be on the roster bubble.

Jack Sanborn is still a starter... for now.

After missing several practices in a row, I half-expected linebacker Jack Sanborn to lose his starting spot to rookie Noah Sewell, especially after Sewell began racking up some nice plays over the weekend. But for now, it seems Sanborn will still be part of the starting defense.

Preseason depth charts are unofficial and always in flux. If Sanborn misses more time and Sewell continues to stack good days of practice and preseason games, we could see yet another rookie claim a starting role right away.

Velus Jones Jr. will still be fielding punts and kickoffs.

For now, at least, no one has flashed enough in practice on special teams to take over the punt and kick return responsibilities from Velus Jones Jr.

Maybe Jones has shown legitimate improvement in this area and hasn't been muffing any returns, or maybe the Bears just don't have any good options right now.

Time will tell, but for now, Jones should still be the guy we see taking kickoffs to start the preseason.

No surprises at quarterback.

Breaking news: Justin Fields is still the starting quarterback. Of course, we all knew that. We also knew that PJ Walker would be the backup. The only real battle in this position group is for the QB3 spot, between veteran Nathan Peterman and rookie Tyson Bagent.

I hope that Bagent has shown enough in practice and will be productive enough in preseason games to secure that last quarterback spot. At this point, Peterman is a known entity, he is what he is. But Bagent is a rookie with tantalizing potential. He holds an NCAA record for most passing touchdowns in a career with 159.

I'll be rooting for him.

The 2023 Bears are not the 2022 Bears.

On defense, half of the starting lineup has seen turnover. Justin Jones is the only returning starter on the defensive line, and the starting linebackers are all different from a year ago.

The secondary remains the same, but that was the strong part of the Bear's defense in 2022, so that is no surprise.

Similarly, on offense, we see five new starters: WR DJ Moore, WR Chase Claypool, RG Nate Davis, RT Darnell Wright, and RB Khalil Herbert.

The trolls and the division rival fanbases still doubt the Bears' alleged improvements. Fine, we get it. But this year's team is markedly different (and better) than last year's.

With half of this year's Chicago Bears starting lineup featuring new players, the future looks brighter than it has in a long time.