Projecting the 53 man Roster

[wab]

OFFENSE (25)

QB
Glennon, Mike
Sanchez, Mark
Trubisky, Mitch

*Sanchez could be on the outside looking in, as a lot of teams no longer carry 3 QB's. I guess it really depends on how comfortable they are with Mitch's development.

WR
Meredith, Cameron
White, Kevin
Wright, Kendall
Wheaton, Markus
Bellamy, Josh
Gentry, Tanner

*I could see Gentry making it over Braverman, because of his size (and the fact that they have two slot guys in Wheaton and Wright). This is a thin group.

TE
Sims, Dion
Shaheen, Adam
Brown, Daniel

*Fox generally carries a lot of TE's, but Miller's injury history probably costs him his job. Brown and Pruitt are fighting for the same spot.

HB/FB
Howard, Jordan
Langford, Jeremy
Cohen, Tarik
Cunningham, Benny
Stevenson, Freddie

*Cunningham juuuuust edges out Carey because Carey can't stay healthy. I'd prefer to see Langford walk, but I don't think they give up on him yet. And the seem to want to give the FSU kid a legit shot at FB.

OL
Whitehair, Cody
Leno Jr., Charles
Massie, Bobby
Sitton, Josh
Long, Kyle
Morgan, Jordan
Grasu, Hroniss
Compton, Tom

*Not a lot of surprises here. Grasu edges out Kush because he's a draft pick. Might be trade bait too. Compton is a player, so he could make things interesting if he outplays either Leno or Massie. Sowell could make things interesting for Massie as well. Basically I hate the Bears offensive tackles. I'd like to see that Joseph kid get a roster spot. He's raw, but man does he have some interesting tools to work with.

DEFENSE (25)

CB/S
Amukamara, Prince
Cooper, Marcus
Fuller, Kyle
Callahan, Bryce
LeBlanc, Cre'Von
Hall, Deiondre'
Amos, Adrian
Demps, Quintin
Bush, Deon
Houston-Carson, DeAndre
Jackson, Eddie

*Lots of bodies to weed through. I go back and forth on Fuller, but ultimately he's too talented to not make the roster. HJQ was so bad last season, and there's a lot of young players at safety to figure out what to do with, so he gone. Watch out for Jonathan Banks to make a strong push for a spot...he impressed me last year. Unfortunately I think he gets caught up in the numbers if they decide to keep Fuller. Ideally DHC makes up for McManis on ST's.

Goldman, Eddie
Howard, Jaye
Hicks, Akiem
Bullard, Jonathan
Unrein, Mitch
Lewis-Moore, Kapron

*I have Lewis-Moore making it over Jenkins, because he's young and Jenkins can't stay in shape. Lewis-Moore can play either nose or DE. CJ Wilson doesn't do much for me. The Bears are in trouble if one bad thing happens to this group.

Freeman, Jerrell
Kwiatkoski, Nick
Skuta, Dan
Timu, John
McPhee, Pernell
Floyd, Leonard
Young, Willie
Houston, Lamarr
Trevathan, Danny

*Trevathan is slated to start out on the PUP, so he doesn't count towards the overall numbers. Skuta edges out Jones and Acho. I don't know why they keep hanging onto Houston, but whatever. So much talent on paper...still so many question marks.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Phillips, Andy
O'Donnell, Pat
Scales, Patrick

*I'm hoping the 28 year old rookie beats out Barf.

[Boris13c]

* I think there will be 3 players not currently listed as Bears that make the final roster out of training camp.

* I think Kevin White again injures ... something, and is eventually quietly released with an injury settlement

* I think Dirty Sanchez will be cut loose to go sully a different team's QB pool

[wab]

* I think there will be 3 players not currently listed as Bears that make the final roster out of training camp.

Unless there is a surprise trade, or a really interesting player released by another team (similar to Sitton last year) I don't see it happening.

* I think Kevin White again injures ... something, and is eventually quietly released with an injury settlement

They have too much invested in White to release him, and if he is hurt again, he'll finish his Bears career on where he began it, on IR. There's no incentive to give him an injury settlement.

* I think Dirty Sanchez will be cut loose to go sully a different team's QB pool

Maybe the most likely, but the Bears gave Sanchez some money, so they'd have to be really really really confident in Trubs.

[RING4CHI]

If the Bears carry three QBs, I think Connor Shaw beats out Mark Sanchez.

[Atkins&Rebel]

I'm guessing that Langford is toast and we keep Miller. He's relatively cheap and too talented to dump if there is room, and I don't see Langford contributing enough to make coaches want him over Miller.

[wab]

I think if the Bears only carry 2 QBs, they could carry 4 TEs. I'll be surprised if the Bears only carry 3 RB's though (not counting a FB).

[staleystarch]

I think the Miller prediction is bold and that I think about it I agree. As to Fuller, I think he is trade bait for a low round pick next year. I think Fuller is talented and can still but a good corner, but he does not fit Fangio's system. I am also expecting one of last year's rookie CBS to step up this year and maybe even challenge for a starting job. I think Langford should be gone over Carey. I'm surprised White did not break a leg when he heard his car was stolen. I predict White will one day land the role of Mr. Glass in the remake of unbreakable.

[UOK]

I was gonna say, I doubt Sanchez is on the roster barring injury. I thought you were tight with Miller - what changed your mind?

[mmmc_35]

I don't fully agree with some of your ideas there WAB.

I think Fox generally keeps 9 OL. Plus Kush gives more versatility then Grasu. I could see them keep Kush Compton and Sowell, while dropping Grasu as he has not been healthy.

Fuller has not received any recent praise. Fangio, Donatell, and Fox have had opportunities to say anything positive and have not. I think he is the odd man out. Banks and Webb have a shot at his spot. I wonder if Hall will be used as a 3rd S/CB in big nickel packages.

I have a hard time not seeing how Miller, barring injury, doesn't make the 53. 2 more traditional in line guys Sims and Shaheen, with two move guys Miller and Brown. Pruitt and Braunecker may fight for that 4th spot.

I can't see Sanchez making the roster. He was insurance if they couldn't draft a guy. They did, so I think they will cancel that policy.

[wab]

I was gonna say, I doubt Sanchez is on the roster barring injury. I thought you were tight with Miller - what changed your mind?

Miller thinks he's on the bubble, so I'm just going with his feeling.

[HurricaneBear]

Great write up and some great discussion in here! I think Sanchez was signed incase we missed out on Trubisky or if an injury/trade happens during training camp involving Glennon. I think Sanchez will be here most of camp and will be released just before the season starts if all goes according to plan.

Very interesting discussion about Miller. Are any of the young TE's practice squad eligible and unlikely to be poached? I would think Miller/Sims start the season as the top 2 guys with Shaheen coming on as the season goes on. How much would be saved by cutting Miller does anyone know?

I think White stays healthy finally and starts to show he will be a number one. I think our WR group can be a nice surprise this year if White stays healthy and Meredith continues to develop. Wheaton and White I both like in this offense and think will surprise some people. Very excited about Gentry and hope he makes the roster as well.

I also love that you have Barth gone in your prediction wab and hope you are right. He needs to go.

[wab]

Miller staying (based on his feelings, not mine) really depends on a couple things...1 how comfortable they are with Shaheens development in camp and preseason, and Miller's ability to stay on the field.

He loves Chicago, is very close with Kyle, and had a hard time when Jay was cut. He also knows that Pace wants to salt the earth of anything related to Emery. He thinks that if he was maybe 4-5 years younger, these thoughts wouldn't even be going through his head, and knows Chicago may be his last real shot. Trust me, he doesn't want to go.

I also go back and forth on Sanchez. I agree that his presence really was there in case they weren't able to get Trubisky. But Pace seems to think highly of his ability in the QB room. He may not have ever been much on the field, but he keeps getting jobs because he's basically another QB coach in the room. With Glennon maybe not being so thrilled about having Trubisky around, Sanchez wouldn't be a terrible guy to have sitting on the bench on game day helping Trubisky break down what's going on out on the field,

[mmmc_35]

I suppose his gut feeling maybe right, but its fucking dumb. Miller when healthy is a pay maker, and seems like a good teammate/vet presence. So in a team devoid of play makers let's get rid of a guy because of who found him.

Here is, how I break down the 53.

Bears Depth Chart

[wab]

I suppose his gut feeling maybe right, but its fucking dumb. Miller when healthy is a pay maker, and seems like a good teammate/vet presence. So in a team devoid of play makers let's get rid of a guy because of who found him.

Here is, how I break down the 53.

Bears Depth Chart

It's not entirely because of who found him. But it's kind of a known among the locker room that if Emery signed/drafted you, you better prove that you deserve a roster spot because of how toxic the organization was under him.

Dude is a realist. He knows that based on his track record that he's lucky to even still be in the NFL. He's only a playmaker to the extent that he's available. There's a LOT of bodies at TE right now, and his availability is key.

[BR0D1E86]

I suppose his gut feeling maybe right, but its fucking dumb. Miller when healthy is a pay maker, and seems like a good teammate/vet presence. So in a team devoid of play makers let's get rid of a guy because of who found him.

Here is, how I break down the 53.

Bears Depth Chart

It's not entirely because of who found him. But it's kind of a known among the locker room that if Emery signed/drafted you, you better prove that you deserve a roster spot because of how toxic the organization was under him.

Dude is a realist. He knows that based on his track record that he's lucky to even still be in the NFL. He's only a playmaker to the extent that he's available. There's a LOT of bodies at TE right now, and his availability is key.

I think he'd be ideal to keep around, because he is a respected veteran playmaker. And, unfortunately for him, you can almost count on him getting hurt at some point. His presence gives you performance while Shaheen gets his feet wet.

I don't mind any of the other options for third TE / practice squad, but other than Miller we've already got two young guys getting the bulk of the playing time here for the next few years so I won't lose any sleep if they're gone, either.

[ysleblanc]

Miller staying (based on his feelings, not mine) really depends on a couple things...1 how comfortable they are with Shaheens development in camp and preseason, and Miller's ability to stay on the field.

He loves Chicago, is very close with Kyle, and had a hard time when Jay was cut. He also knows that Pace wants to salt the earth of anything related to Emery. He thinks that if he was maybe 4-5 years younger, these thoughts wouldn't even be going through his head, and knows Chicago may be his last real shot. Trust me, he doesn't want to go.

I also go back and forth on Sanchez. I agree that his presence really was there in case they weren't able to get Trubisky. But Pace seems to think highly of his ability in the QB room. He may not have ever been much on the field, but he keeps getting jobs because he's basically another QB coach in the room. With Glennon maybe not being so thrilled about having Trubisky around, Sanchez wouldn't be a terrible guy to have sitting on the bench on game day helping Trubisky break down what's going on out on the field,

The only way they let Sanchez walk is if they trust Trybisky to step in and not stink out the joint. Sanchez is there for experience, but also to take lumps while MT learns.

[wab]

Plus they'd have to eat a good chunk of guaranteed money. It's not like they can't, but based on the contract they gave him, I'd say it's 70/30 in favor of him being on the roster.

[G08]

When White was playing last season, the one thing I consistently heard from scouts with other teams was that his route running was sub-par.

Well, I'm glad my eyes don't lie to me.

[wab]

I've come to look at White as not really even being on the roster at this point. Wright/Meredith/Wheaton are the starters IMO. Anything the Bears get from Kevin White at this point is simply a bonus.

He's got all kinds of talent, is charismatic, and has great character...so he's obviously a guy I want to be successful. But until he proves he can play a full season, he's basically a nonfactor.