Chicago Bears: 3 Players who might surprise and make the roster

As the Chicago Bears set their 2018 roster, here are three players who might be able to find a spot on the 53-man roster.

The Chicago Bears have to trim their roster from 90 players to 53 players by Sept. 1, as do the rest of the 31 teams in the league.

Most of the 53-man roster is set, but a few spots are still open. We’ll likely see some of these battles come down to how guys perform in the fourth preseason matchup.

With that in mind, ere are three players who might surprise and be able to crack the roster for the opening day tilt against the Green Bay Packers:

Rashaad Coward

It was just last season when Rashaad Coward was battling for a spot along the Bears defensive line. Now, Coward is in a great position to make the 53-man roster as an offensive tackle.  In fact, with Bradley Sowell currently hobbled by ankle injury, Coward is actually the Bears primary option as the backup swing tackle at the moment.

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He has held his own in the preseason, predominantly playing right tackle. It’s probably best if Coward made the team and used the 2018 season as a developmental year, but hats off to a guy who literally switched sides and made the most of it.

Kasim Edebali

Edebali, a five-year veteran, has a legit shot to make the team as a pass rushing outside linebacker. With Leonard Floyd hurt and Aaron Lynch seemingly hobbled all preseason long with various ailments, Edebali has a chance to turn his strong 2018 preseason into a spot on the opening day roster.

The Bears are in desperate need for pass rushers and keeping Edebali around—if for nothing else then depth insurance purposes—wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Edebali has 61 games of NFL experience and has racked up a eight career sacks.

A veteran safety

So, while this isn’t a specific player, the Bears could certainly use depth at safety and might be searching for others teams’ scraps once cuts happen on Sept. 1. Adrian Amos and Eddie Jackson are locked in as starters, but after that, questions abound. Deiondre’ Hall is suspended Week 1 and might be on the roster bubble regardless. DeAndre Houston-Carson broke his arm and is a candidate to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

Deon Bush has had a solid preseason but has only played in 24 career games and has seen the majority of his work on special teams. Big names like Eric Reid are still available, but the Bears will likely turn to recent cuts to add depth to the position. In-house candidates for safety do include Jonathan Mincy and even Kevin Tolliver, a cornerback who does has safety size and traits.