Predict the 53-man roster!

[wab]

OK, here's what I came up with. It was harder than I thought. Notes at the bottom of each position group...

Offense

QB: 2
Chase Daniel
Mitchell Trubisky

I don't know if Bray still qualifies for the PS, but even if he doesn't, he's only a phone call away.

RB: 4
Tarik Cohen
Mike Davis
David Montgomery
Kerrith Whyte Jr.

I don't have anything to say other than I'm glad to not see Mizzell's name in this group.

OL: 8
T.J. Clemmings
Rashaad Coward
James Daniels
Ted Larsen
Charles Leno Jr.
Kyle Long
Bobby Massie
Cody Whitehair

I had a tough time with this one. The Bears don't have a true LT to back up Leno, so I felt pressed to keep Clemmings. The Bears liked him in the draft, and now get a chance to see if he's healthy. Larsen can play guard and center, even though he doesn't play them well. I love Alex Bars, but more on him in a minute.

TE: 4
Trey Burton
Dax Raymond
Adam Shaheen
Bradley Sowell

Burton is worth keeping an eye on, because he might start out on the PUP. Raymond is worth keeping on the 53 based on upside alone. Sowell is the oulier...they switched him and asked him to drop like 40lbs. If they didn't have a plan for him, I doubt they'd ask him to go through that and risk not catching on with another team.

WR: 7
Taylor Gabriel
Marvin Hall
Anthony Miller
Cordarrelle Patterson
Riley Ridley
Allen Robinson II
Javon Wims

Patterson doesn't really count because he's basically a position-less player. Just don't cut Wims ok Bears?

Defense

CB: 6
Prince Amukamara
Kyle Fuller
Sherrick McManis
Duke Shelley
Buster Skrine
Kevin Toliver II

Pretty cut and dry here. Toliver showed some promise last year and is really the only true outside corner after Fuller and Amukamara. I know the Bears love them some Michael Joseph, so he will be one to watch in camp.

DL: 6
Jonathan Bullard
Roy Robertson-Harris
Akiem Hicks
Bilal Nichols
Nick Williams
Eddie Goldman

I would love for someone to step up and either make Bullard better, or push him off the roster. I just don't know who that would be. Nick Williams spot isn't super secure, but he's the only backup to Goldman the Bears really have.

EDGE: 5
Charles Harris
Leonard Floyd
Isaiah Irving
Aaron Lynch
Khalil Mack

By all accounts, Harris has looked like a player the Bears will have a hard time letting go of. His transition from DE to LB has so far been pretty seamless. He was limited last year by an injury which caused him to drop out of the draft.
Fitts has been underwhelming outside of a couple preseason games as a rookie and has limited upside. Matt Betts could push Fitts/Irving for a spot, but he's an ideal practice squad candidate.

ILB: 4
Joel Iyiegbuniwe
Nick Kwiatkoski
Roquan Smith
Danny Trevathan

Same as last year, although James Vaughters might make it tough on Iyiegbuniwe.

S: 4
Deon Bush
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Stephen Denmark
Eddie Jackson

I really wanted to find a spot for Houston-Carson because I like him on special teams, I just didn't have room. He's right there on the bubble though - but he's been cut before.

Special Teams: 3
Eddy Pineiro
John Wirtel
Pat O'Donnell

Man, I don't know. Megapunt is the only lock of the bunch.

Other stuff:

Injured Reserve/PUP

Emanuel Hall - WR
Alex Bars - OL

Every year teams stash a couple of guys on IR. These are the two most likely candidates. If they are healthy though, they should take someone else's spot on the final 53.

Practice Squad Candidates:
Matt Betts - OLB
Michael Joseph - CB
Jonathan Harris - DL
Sam Mustipher - OL
Ryan Nall - RB
Jesper Horsted - WR/TE
James Vaughters - ILB

I know the Bears will bring in cuts from other teams, but these are a handful of guys I'd try to stash away.

[Mikefive]

OK, here's what I came up with. It was harder than I thought. Notes at the bottom of each position group...

Offense

QB: 2
Chase Daniel
Mitchell Trubisky

I don't know if Bray still qualifies for the PS, but even if he doesn't, he's only a phone call away.

RB: 4
Tarik Cohen
Mike Davis
David Montgomery
Kerrith Whyte Jr.

I don't have anything to say other than I'm glad to not see Mizzell's name in this group.

OL: 8
T.J. Clemmings
Rashaad Coward
James Daniels
Ted Larsen
Charles Leno Jr.
Kyle Long
Bobby Massie
Cody Whitehair

I had a tough time with this one. The Bears don't have a true LT to back up Leno, so I felt pressed to keep Clemmings. The Bears liked him in the draft, and now get a chance to see if he's healthy. Larsen can play guard and center, even though he doesn't play them well. I love Alex Bars, but more on him in a minute.

TE: 4
Trey Burton
Dax Raymond
Adam Shaheen
Bradley Sowell

Burton is worth keeping an eye on, because he might start out on the PUP. Raymond is worth keeping on the 53 based on upside alone. Sowell is the oulier...they switched him and asked him to drop like 40lbs. If they didn't have a plan for him, I doubt they'd ask him to go through that and risk not catching on with another team.

WR: 7
Taylor Gabriel
Marvin Hall
Anthony Miller
Cordarrelle Patterson
Riley Ridley
Allen Robinson II
Javon Wims

Patterson doesn't really count because he's basically a position-less player. Just don't cut Wims ok Bears?

Defense

CB: 6
Prince Amukamara
Kyle Fuller
Sherrick McManis
Duke Shelley
Buster Skrine
Kevin Toliver II

Pretty cut and dry here. Toliver showed some promise last year and is really the only true outside corner after Fuller and Amukamara. I know the Bears love them some Michael Joseph, so he will be one to watch in camp.

DL: 6
Jonathan Bullard
Roy Robertson-Harris
Akiem Hicks
Bilal Nichols
Nick Williams
Eddie Goldman

I would love for someone to step up and either make Bullard better, or push him off the roster. I just don't know who that would be. Nick Williams spot isn't super secure, but he's the only backup to Goldman the Bears really have.

EDGE: 5
Charles Harris
Leonard Floyd
Isaiah Irving
Aaron Lynch
Khalil Mack

By all accounts, Harris has looked like a player the Bears will have a hard time letting go of. His transition from DE to LB has so far been pretty seamless. He was limited last year by an injury which caused him to drop out of the draft.
Fitts has been underwhelming outside of a couple preseason games as a rookie and has limited upside. Matt Betts could push Fitts/Irving for a spot, but he's an ideal practice squad candidate.

ILB: 4
Joel Iyiegbuniwe
Nick Kwiatkoski
Roquan Smith
Danny Trevathan

Same as last year, although James Vaughters might make it tough on Iyiegbuniwe.

S: 4
Deon Bush
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Stephen Denmark
Eddie Jackson

I really wanted to find a spot for Houston-Carson because I like him on special teams, I just didn't have room. He's right there on the bubble though - but he's been cut before.

Special Teams: 3
Eddy Pineiro
John Wirtel
Pat O'Donnell

Man, I don't know. Megapunt is the only lock of the bunch.

Other stuff:

Injured Reserve/PUP

Emanuel Hall - WR
Alex Bars - OL

Every year teams stash a couple of guys on IR. These are the two most likely candidates. If they are healthy though, they should take someone else's spot on the final 53.

Practice Squad Candidates:
Matt Betts - OLB
Michael Joseph - CB
Jonathan Harris - DL
Sam Mustipher - OL
Ryan Nall - RB
Jesper Horsted - WR/TE
James Vaughters - ILB

I know the Bears will bring in cuts from other teams, but these are a handful of guys I'd try to stash away.

A few things...

1. I don't get the love for Bradley Sowell at TE. And with our great depth at WR, I'm not sure we even need 4 TEs. I'd lose Sowell and keep a STs guy like DHC, especially with super project Denmark at S.

2. Keeping 11 guys between RB and WR seems like a LOT. CPat is a hybrid who will do either. I might lose Marvin Hall or hope Whyte can stick on the PS and keep another OL guy like Bars. Or perhaps a backup LT might be a better choice.

But other than that, I'm pretty much with you.

[Moriarty]

OL[8]: Leno(27/2), Daniels(21/2), Whitehair(26/FA), Long(INJ-30/1), Massie(29/3)
Larsen(31/FA), Coward(24/RFA*), Clemmings(27/FA)

QB[3]: Trubisky(25/1+1), Daniel(32/FA), Bray(27/FA)

HB[4]: Davis(26/1), Cohen(23/2), Montgomery<R3-21>, Whyte<R7-22*>

FB[0]:

WR[6]: Gabriel(INJ-28/2), Robinson(INJ-25/1)
Miller(24/2), Patterson(28/1)
Ridley<R4-22 >, MHall(26/RFA**)


TE[4]: TBurton(INJ-27/2), Shaheen(INJ-24/1**), Sowell(29/FA), Braunecker(25/1)

DL[6]: Hicks(29/2), Goldman(25/3), Robertson-Harris(25/RFA**)
Nichols(22/2), Williams(29/FA**), Bullard(25/FA)

OLB[4]: Mack(28/5), Floyd(INJ-26/1), Lynch(INJ-26/FA) , Irving(24/RFA**),

ILB[5]: Smith(22/2+1), Trevathan(29/FA)
Kwiatkowski(25/FA), Pierre-Louis(25/FA), Iyiegbuniwe(22/2**)

CB[6]: Amukamara(29/1), Fuller(27/2), Skrine(30/2), McManis(31/FA), Shelley<R6-22*>, Toliver(23/1r**)

S[4]: C-Dix(26/FA), Jackson(25/1)
Bush(25/FA), H-C(INJ-26/FA)

[3]
K: Piniero(23/1r)
P: O’Donnell(28/1)
LS: Scales(31/FA)


PUP/IR: EHall(INJ-22/2r)

PS includes:
Nall, Wims, Gentry, Raymond, Bunting, Anderson, Fitts, Denmark

[Moriarty]

So I scored 49/53

Missed:

• Had Clemmings instead of Lucas (which I'm going to argue would have been correct, if Clemmings hadn't gotten hurt )
• Had Bray instead of Woods as a 6th ILB (I didn't think Bray still had PS eligibility)
• Had Bullard for 1 more year, instead of Anderson
• Had Marcus Hall instead of Wims

Anyone top that?

[Mikefive]

So I scored 49/53

Missed:

• Had Clemmings instead of Lucas (which I'm going to argue would have been correct, if Clemmings hadn't gotten hurt )
• Had Bray instead of Woods as a 6th ILB (I didn't think Bray still had PS eligibility)
• Had Bullard for 1 more year, instead of Anderson
• Had Marcus Hall instead of Wims

Anyone top that?

48, since it was Marvin Hall. ;-P