The Chicago Bears have officially reached their 53-man roster, for now. Players who made the cut Tuesday are still holding their breath that they'll be on the final squad in Week 1. General manager Ryan Poles has been busy on the waiver wire, and a player or two on this list could get his walking papers soon.
For now, these are the 2023 Chicago Bears.
Here's a position-by-position breakdown of the team (Note: players are listed alphabetically by last name).
Quarterbacks (2): Tyson Bagent, Justin Fields
Analysis: Tyson Bagent is one of the best stories to come from a Chicago Bears training camp in years. The undrafted rookie from Shepherd will begin the season as Justin Fields' backup. Bears fans should be excited about his upside as a long-term backup who could have trade value in a season or two.
Running backs (4): D'Onta Foreman, Khalil Herbert, Travis Homer, Roschon Johnson
Fullbacks (1): Khari Blasingame
Analysis: The Bears went chalk in the running back room. Trestan Ebner is the only relevant running back who was cut, but his chances to make the roster were bleak the moment Chicago signed Foreman and Homer in free agency and drafted Johnson in the fourth round. For now, Herbert is the RB1. But it won't be long until Johnson ascends to that role.
Receivers (7): Chase Claypool, Velus Jones Jr., Darnell Mooney, DJ Moore, Equanimeous St. Brown, Tyler Scott, Trent Taylor
Analysis: Perhaps the biggest surprise from this list is Velus Jones Jr. being on it. That said, Poles has dropped plenty of hints that he wouldn't cut Jones after one season in the league. It's a make-or-break year for the 2022 third-round pick.
Tight ends (3): Cole Kmet, Marcedes Lewis, Robert Tonyan
Analysis: The Chicago Bears have a strong tight end group entering the 2023 season, led by Kmet, who was re-signed to a four-year contract extension this summer. Tonyan and Lewis bring complementary skills to the depth chart, giving the Bears offense personnel flexibility.
Offensive linemen (10): Larry Borom, Ja'Tyre Carter, Nate Davis, Dan Feeney, Teven Jenkins, Braxton Jones, Doug Kramer, Lucas Patrick, Cody Whitehair, Darnell Wright
Analysis: The Bears' offensive line has a lot of promise as long as it can stay healthy. Unfortunately, injuries have sniped Jenkins and Davis, but only Jenkins is expected to miss regular-season time. The trade for Feeney as interior-line insurance was a good decision by Ryan Poles.
Defensive linemen (9): Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter Sr., Rasheem Green, Justin Jones, Khalid Kareem, Yannick Ngakoue, Zacch Pickens, Dominique Robinson, DeMarcus Walker
Analysis: Ngakoue is the headliner in this group. His signing adds a quality pass-rusher to a young and relatively inexperienced group. Walker will be a tone-setter, and the pair of rookie defensive tackles (Dexter and Pickens) are trending as building blocks on defense.
Linebackers (5): Dylan Cole Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Noah Sewell
Analysis: Another promising position group for the Bears, and an expensive one too. Chicago broke the bank on Edmunds in free agency, and Edwards got a nice payday, too. Sanborn rounds out one of the more exciting starting linebacker trios the Bears have had in quite a while.
Cornerbacks (6): Josh Blackwell, Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Johnson, Jaylon Jones, Terell Smith, Tyrique Stevenson
Analysis: Johnson, Stevenson, and Gordon will be the starters. It's an exciting trio of playmakers. Smith, another member of the 2023 rookie class, will be a top reserve.
Safeties (4): Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks, Eddie Jackson, Quindell Johnson
Analysis: Brisker and Jackson are among the best starting duos in the NFL, but the depth behind them is questionable. Johnson was added off waivers to provide experience and more upside off the bench.
Specialists (3): Trenton Gill, Cairo Santos, Patrick Scales
Analysis: Santos re-established himself as a reliable kicker this preseason. Gill is, at worst, a league-average punter. And Patrick Scales will be the long snapper for as long as he wants to be.