Chicago Bears: Analyzing the final 53-man roster for 2017

A detailed look at the Chicago Bears 53-man roster for the 2017 NFL season.

With the final cut deadline come and gone, and the main waiver period over as well, the Chicago Bears final 53-man roster appears set. The team made three waiver claims on Sunday, claiming former Buccaneers long snapper Andrew DePaola, Titans receiver Tre McBride and Ravens running back Taquan Mizzell.

You can find the current Bears roster here. For a deeper analysis of the roster, let’s forge ahead.

Quarterback

Mike Glennon, Mitchell Trubisky and Mark Sanchez comprise the trio of quarterbacks Chicago kept. There was some doubt that Sanchez would make the roster, but as of now, he’s sticking around. We still don’t know if Trubisky has passed him on the depth chart, but Sanchez’s spot on the roster still seems tenuous. It would not be surprising if he gets cut in the middle of the season if the Bears have injury issues at other positions.

Running Back

The Bears kept four: Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen, Benny Cunningham and Taquan Mizzell. The biggest surprise was the release of Jeremy Langford on Sunday. Langford, the Week 1 starter only one year ago, seemed to have his roster spot cemented with the Ka’Deem Carey injury (Carey was placed on injured reserve), but that was not to be. With Mizzell in the fold, the Bears have three players who are seen as more “third down” backs than bellcow running backs. Keeping Howard healthy is going to be vital.

Tight End

Five tight ends were initially kept by the Bears (Dion Sims, Adam Shaheen, Zach Miller, Ben Braunecker, and Daniel Brown), but Braunecker was waived to make room for receiver Tre McBride. The Bears also kept a fullback in Michael Burton, showing that they may try some more power runs this season. This might be the deepest position on the team, yet finding consistent playing time for all of them could be tough. Expect to see a lot of two tight end formations this year.

Wide Receiver

After final cuts, six wide receivers remain in Chicago: Kevin White, Kendall Wright, Markus Wheaton, Deonte Thompson, Josh Bellamy and Tre McBride. White, Wright and Wheaton figure to see the bulk of the playing time (if healthy), with Thompson serving as a deep threat on the outside. Bellamy is a core special teams player who has questionable hands. McBride has pretty good hands, but struggles separating from cornerbacks. Tanner Gentry was signed to the practice squad.

Offensive Line

Eight offensive linemen made it onto the final roster: Bobby Massie, Charles Leno, Kyle Long, Josh Sitton, Cody Whitehair, Hroniss Grasu, Tom Compton and Bradley Sowell. Long’s health is key, as if he misses any time, Grasu would start at center and Whitehair would slide to left guard. Fifth-round pick Jordan Morgan was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Compton is a veteran who can play both tackle and guard, and Sowell is the emergency long snapper.

Defensive Line

Chicago kept five players on the defensive front: Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Mitch Unrein, Jonathan Bullard, and Roy Robertson-Harris. Hicks and Goldman are locks to start, with Unrein and Bullard competing for the other starting spot. Robertson-Harris was a longshot to make the roster before Training Camp began, but his stellar preseason play earned him a spot. If Bullard can stay healthy, he could make this a very good positional group. It would be disappointing if Hicks didn’t make the Pro Bowl this year.

Inside Linebacker

Jerrell Freeman, Danny Trevathan, Nick Kwiatkoski and Christian Jones made it through cutdown day at inside linebacker. Freeman is a starter, and Trevathan might be ready for Week 1. If not, Kwiatkoski would take his spot. Jones beat out John Timu for the final spot, likely because of his ability to play outside linebacker in a pinch. This is a positional group with a ton of potential.

Outside Linebacker

Leonard Floyd, Willie Young, Pernell McPhee and Same Acho are the four outside linebackers the Bears kept. The biggest news was McPhee coming off the PUP list, meaning the Bears expect him to return to action before Week 6. Getting a healthy McPhee back in the mix would be a huge boost to this team. Floyd and Young are the starters, with Acho providing solid depth and a good locker room presence. Lamarr Houston was placed on injured reserve and likely will reach an injury settlement with the team.

Cornerback

Six made the team: Prince Amukamara, Marcus Cooper, Bryce Callahan, Kyle Fuller, Cre’Von LeBlanc and Sherrick McManis. Amukamara and Cooper are the starters, though Fuller could start if Amukamara’s ankle injury forces him to miss some time. Callahan and LeBlanc will compete for the nickel spot, and McManis provides excellent special team play. It’s a solid group, but health is a concern.

Safety

The Bears kept five: Quintin Demps, Eddie Jackson, Adrian Amos, Deon Bush and Deiondre’ Hall. Demps and Jackson are starters, with Amos providing solid depth. Hall can play both safety and cornerback, but has not impressed at either. The Bears front office may have felt obligated to keep Bush, their fourth-round pick a year ago. He has shown relatively nothing so far, but Ryan Pace and company probably didn’t want to give up on a draft pick so early. If Jackson can provide solid play, the safety position may finally be set.

Next: NFL QB Power Rankings 2017: Week 1

Special Teams

Chicago’s kicker is Connor Barth, the punter is Pat O’Donnell, and the long snapper is Andrew DePaola. Barth beat out Roberto Aguayo for the job. O’Donnell was mighty impressive this preseason and should be in store for a big year. DePaola was claimed off waivers from the Buccaneers, and has experience playing with Barth. Long snapper Patrick Scales was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL.

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