Bear Digest

The Big Issues Bears Must Ponder While Making Roster Cutdown

Analysis: Questions need to be answered by the Bears coaches and personnel department as the cuts are being made, and here are the obvious ones.

Gene Chamberlain

Reddy Steward had a big preseason for the Bears, including two interceptions against the Chiefs, but they're strong at cornerback.
Reddy Steward had a big preseason for the Bears, including two interceptions against the Chiefs, but they're strong at cornerback. / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
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Every cutdown day presents special problems for coaches.

It's never the same because of roster makeup or the team's state of development.

The Bears face a handful of tough decisions for their 53-man cutdown. Here are those most apparent as the cuts begin to trickle in over the day and toward Tuesday's 3 p.m. deadline.

Remember, the roster they have at 3 p.m. Tuesday isn't necessarily their opening day roster because injury situations could force a change over a week and a half before the opener with Tennessee, and also because they might have the opportunity through waivers to add to their depth.

ROSTER CUT CLARIFIES SOME OF THE SITUATION FOR BEARS AT GUARD

There is always the chance of a trade, although at this point it would seem they'd be more likely to export talent for picks at some positions.

Protect Brett Rypien?

Their degree of certainty over someone stealing Brett Rypien off the practice squad must be the determining factor in whether they keep him on the 53-man roster. The practice squad players are all free agents who have been released. A huge majority of teams would prefer their own backup because they have invested the offseason of work and training camp in getting them to know the offense and run it. Bringing in a quarterback at that late date as a second-string guy means you've scrapped the entire offseason work with your backups.

IS HARD-EARNED RESPECT FOR JAYLON JOHNSON STILL INSUFFICIENT?

There are only 32 teams and very few will want to take a QB off the practice squad of another team and put him on their regular roster. They can't take him from the practice squad and put him on their practice squad according to the rules.  It's not Week 1 when they'd have to worry about this. It's Week 2, if there are serious starting QB injuries in Week 1, where the danger of losing Rypien off the practice squad.

EDGE RUSH TOUGH TO MAKE CONSIDERING WHO WAS ALREADY CUT

WHAT PRESEASON GAME STATS AND PFF SAID FOR BEARS OFFENSE

WHY RYAN POLES' DEPTH TRADES MADE TOTAL SENSE FOR BEARS

OPTIMISTIC VIEW GIVEN BY MATT EBERFLUS ON ZACCH PICKENS' INJURY

How Long for Ryan Bates' Injury?

Last year they started with 10 offensive linemen on the roster but Teven Jenkins wasn't among them due to a training camp injury. He was on IR. Also, they had just acquired Dan Feeney Aug. 29 in a trade. In 2022 they kept nine and it's a working number most healthy teams trend towards. This year keeping a 10th would most likely be a result of Kiran Amegadjie just joining practices last week. He hasn't played in a preseason game. Ryan Bates' health is the other issue. He couldn't compete at center or guard in August but this doesn't diminish what they think of his abilities. He's a potential starter. With uncertainty over two linemen, they may need that 10th for at least a few weeks of the regular season.

Can They Count on 40-Something?

Marcedes Lewis has his roster spot as a blocking tight end even though he's three years older than his position coach, Jim Dray. At 40, can the Bears count on him as the third tight end and not keep a fourth tight end on the roster? Who would the fourth be? Stephen Carlson is more of an all-around type. They already cut Tommy Sweeney. The analytics crowd at Pro Football Focus fell in love with the play of undrafted rookie Brenden Bates. His blocking ability was well known coming into the draft. But in the preseason he showed he was a receiver, too, with six catches for 100 yards, the third-most receptions of any Bears player. He had the highest overall Pro Football Focus grade of any player on offense who wasn't a quarterback. A fourth tight end could mean Khari Blasingame loses his fullback job. That's been in question since camp started because offensive coordinator Shane Waldron didn't have fullback in his Seattle offense. It probably is more practical to keep a fourth tight end than a fullback considering Waldron's comfort with tight ends for his attack.

Do They Cut a Draft Pick on the Edge?

Dominique Robinson or Daniel Hardy as fifth edge player, if they even keep five? After Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker, Austin Booker and newly acquired Darrell Taylor, it's entirely possible they keep a fifth who would be required to play extensively on special teams. Walker can move inside in pass rush situations so it opens up the fifth slot for an end. But keeping six would indeed be a luxury. Well, if you base it on preseason, it's definitely Hardy to keep. Or is it? When Matt Eberflus was talking Saturday about who will be in the defensive line rotation, it was interesting. "We'll play that hot hand," he said. "I feel really good about al the guys who are out there right now, you know, Booker, Dom (Robinson), and DWalk (Walker)and all those guys who are playing with Tez (Sweat) on the one side. So we'll just make it a competition and see who is hot and let them rush." Six? It doesn't seem likely and in that case is it possible they actually looked at all the damage and effort done by Hardy in preseason as opposed to Robinson's inactivity, and they keep Robinson because he was a draft pick? It could really cause a stir among the fan base.

Has Velus Jones Experiment Shown Enough?

He made a few long runs, even poked his nose into the tough stuff between the tackles at times, but Velus Jones Jr. as a fourth running back and specific use guy seems to mean they would need to cut out either the fourth tight end, the fullback or even one of the offensive linemen. Bears coaches like Travis Homer a lot because of his special teams skills and receiving, although he had some poor moments in the passing game in preseason. Ian Wheeler is already gone from the running back group with a torn ACL. The fourth back, the gadget guy, could prove worthwhile but Jones' lack of backfield experience could also spell disaster in the regular season against a blitz look. They have to decide if they've seen enough in all aspects of being  a back to make them think Jones can do this before they cut someone like Homer, who does have all-purpose skill but is far less explosive.

How Many Cornerbacks Are Too Many?

This team's greatest strength is cornerback. Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith would make almost any team envious, but they have people lining up at other spots like Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell, Greg Stroman Jr. and now Reddy Steward. If you get really specific, 6-foot-3 roster pickup Ro Torrence and undrafted rookie Leon Jones weren't bad. Keeping six cornerbacks has to be the limit but that could mean cutting either Stroman or Steward.

Draft Pedigree Or Preseason Production at Linebacker?

Noah Sewell really didn't play linebacker last regular season, and this preseason he was limited to 19 plays and a handful of practices. He was a fifth-round pick last year. This year Micah Baskerville was an extremely productive player and came out in the top 10 for PFF grades on defense.  Can they simply ignore this production from an undrafted, smaller linebacker and keep Sewell as the fifth linebacker when he hasn't really done much since coming to Halas Hall? Sewell did play last preseason more extensively, and it may be this which keeps him on the roster.

How Much Do They Need Two Punt Returners at Receiver?

Dante Pettis had what can only be termed a spectacular preseason when he needed it, as a receiver. His punt returner ability got him a 2022 roster spot. They brought in DeAndre Carter, who figured as a punt returner, too. Yet, Carter had little impact in preseason as a receiver. The Bears need to be careful here. Cutting Pettis could deprive them of a capable returner and receiver. Carter might have experience but is still a minimum contract type of receiver like Pettis. Then you take into account that Rome Odunze continues to get punt return reps in practice, and cornerback Josh Blackwell does as well. Perhaps they keep both Pettis and Carter if Jones is classified a running back instead of receiver/running back.

Kevin Byard's Injury

The injury safety Kevin Byard had is problematic. He never gets hurt. So if he's sitting out the last week of preseason, it must not be a minor issue. It could impact if they keep an extra safety. One thing preseason proved definitively on defense was they have far more depth at safety than in recent years. They might need to keep someone from among Adrian Colbert, Quindell Johnson and Tarvarius Moore behind Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks and Jonathan Owens because of the Byard injury.

DOES ALBERT BREER THINK JUSTIN FIELDS IS GOINg TO BE STARTER IN PITTSBURGH?

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.