The Chicago Bears still have 13 days until their season opener, and their goal — like everyone’s — is to arrive there as healthy as possible.
As he trimmed the roster to 53 players, general manager Ryan Poles had to do some gymnastics with injuries, placing both running back Travis Homer and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga on injured reserve with a designation to return. (Both players will miss at least the first four games.)
A few other injured players weren’t at Tuesday’s practice but could be available in the near future — running backs Roschon Johnson and Kyle Monangai and defensive end Austin Booker among them.
Then, during Tuesday’s practice, defensive end Dominique Robinson and linebacker T.J. Edwards left with the trainer. An update on those apparent injuries isn’t likely until next week.
Opening the season on Monday night gives Poles and head coach Ben Johnson an extra day to work with. When we say “initial” 53-man roster, that is very literal with this team, as the Bears consider waiver claims and additional roster moves ahead of their opener against the Vikings.
Fourteen players were released, most notably recent draft picks Zacch Pickens and Tyler Scott. More on them below.
Here are our takeaways on the moves the Bears made, and didn’t make, to get to 53 players ahead of Tuesday’s league deadline.
The hot topic
Three days before the Bears reported to training camp in July, they placed cornerback Jaylon Johnson on the non-football injury (NFI) list with a leg issue, insisting that the unforeseen setback wasn’t a major concern.
Fast-forward five weeks, and Johnson still hasn’t made it back to practice.
The good news: The Bears are removing Johnson’s NFI designation, hopeful he can be back with the defense in short order as he continues his recovery with running and agility work.
The bigger question: Will Johnson be cleared to play against the Vikings in Week 1? And even if he gets the green light, will his conditioning level limit the workload he’s able to take on?
“There really is no substitute for putting on pads and playing the game at full speed,” coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday afternoon. “Each guy is different — particularly guys who have had success in this league for a number of years. They’re a little bit different than maybe a rookie who you don’t know as much about. (Jaylon) does get a little benefit of the doubt because he’s played this game at a high level. At the same time, I don’t think there’s any substitute for being able to be out there and go through the process.”
Loosely translated: it’s a wait-and-see situation on Jaylon Johnson’s status for the opener, with a long view needed at Halas Hall to work him back in responsibly.
“When you’re going from not playing and just training to (playing) football, there are all kinds of different things that change timelines,” Poles said Tuesday. “We’re hopeful he continues to get better. But we also have to be smart to make sure he’s good long term.”
Underdog story
Wide receiver Jahdae Walker’s eighth and final catch of the preseason was a 6-yard touchdown grab with three seconds remaining Friday night to stun the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. That was Walker’s third reception on the Bears’ game-winning drive and his second score of the month after he also hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Case Keenum against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 10.
That kind of production excited the coaching staff, especially combined with the exuberance Walker has shown since his May arrival as an undrafted free agent.
Earlier this week, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle praised Walker for having “the kind of love for football we want on our team.”
“There are certain guys who walk outside for practice and it’s like a kid going to recess. They can’t freaking wait to get rolling. Jahdae is that way.”
Walker used all of that to become WR6 on the initial 53-man roster, a development that also put 2023 fourth-round pick Tyler Scott on the chopping block Tuesday. Walker may not have a significant role right out of the gate, particularly on offense. He may not even be active on game day initially. But he has a roster spot, an opportunity and the hunger to do something with it.
Day 2-3 picks — who’s still here, who didn’t make it?
Five players from Poles’ first draft as GM made the 53 — cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker were locks, and the team has to be pleased with the progress of defensive end Dominique Robinson (injury pending) to stick for his fourth season, along with reserve safety Elijah Hicks. Neither Poles nor Johnson would announce a starting left tackle for Week 1, but all signs point to 2022 fifth-rounder Braxton Jones.
GMs never want to let draft cachet dictate a roster spot, but it’s natural to want to see it through with those guys. On the flip side of the 2022 picks who are still here, Poles waived Pickens, a 2023 third-round defensive tackle, and Scott, a fourth-round wide receiver. Walker’s breakthrough is part of the reason Scott didn’t make it.
“Letting Tyler Scott go today is difficult,” Poles said, “but we have to stay true to competition and true to talent, not where guys were drafted.”
The spin for Poles is that the personnel department that didn’t hit with Scott may have found something with Walker, and while Pickens didn’t pan out, they seemed to make a good trade last summer to acquire Chris Williams, who is one of the interior backups. Still, it’s never ideal to see draft picks get cut after only two seasons.
Bears linebacker Noah Sewell, tackling Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington, earned a roster spot with a strong summer showing. (David Banks / Imagn Images)
In the spring, linebacker Noah Sewell seemed to be a candidate for that path, after struggling with injuries his first two seasons. But he has stayed healthy and was a lock to make the roster all summer.
“Noah Sewell has made huge strides to come in and compete for that starting ‘Sam’ position,” Poles said. “He got himself in shape, got right, (had a) choppy start to his career, which shows you, like some of these guys, it’s going to take a few years. This program, it’s no joke and you got to get yourself right to compete.”
It would have been very tough to part ways with 2024 third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie, and the numbers on the offensive line were tight. Poles is happy sticking with 10, citing the improved depth up front. As for Amegadjie, he will work to increase his versatility by getting some time at guard, something they tried at a recent practice.
“He actually looked pretty good,” Poles said. “So we’ll continue to work on his versatility. We know he can do some left and right, but playing inside is going to be big, too.”
One draft pick from this year didn’t make the team — cornerback Zah Frazier, who was put on the non-football injury list and will remain there for the entire season. Poles offered a little update on the fifth-round pick who missed all of training camp and the preseason.
“He had a situation that presented itself in a category that I would say ‘personal,’” Poles said. “As we dug into it, tried to help him out, it revealed itself as something that happened before he got here. So credit to our staff finding the root cause of what he was going through.
“So he’ll be down for the year, but he’ll spend the time going to meetings, in the weight room and with the medical staff to prepare for next season to get ready to play. So, kind of a bummer on the front end, but I think because of everyone’s hard work and care here, we got him on the right path.”
Keeping three QBs
The first thing Johnson announced Tuesday was that the Bears would carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. It’s the first time they’ve done so since 2021. Keenum is healthy after missing time with a leg injury, and his experience is valued. Not only is there no guarantee the Bears would be able to get him to the practice squad, but who’s to say that’s what he would want? If anything happened to Caleb Williams, having Keenum is massive, and if Williams stays healthy all season, his veteran presence on the practice field, in the film room and on the sideline during games will be extremely helpful. It’s something the team missed last season.
Position of concern
As it stands now, the Bears have two running backs on their 53-man roster behind starter D’Andre Swift — rookie Kyle Monangai and Roschon Johnson, with Travis Homer beginning the season on IR. But don’t be surprised if Poles and Johnson look closely at cuts around the league to seek possible reinforcements for the backfield. Johnson hinted as much Tuesday while also expressing confidence in running backs coach Eric Bieniemy to bring the best out of whoever winds up in his room.
Injuries have been an issue for Bears backs throughout August, so much so that the team had only two running backs able-bodied enough to participate in Monday’s practice — Swift and Brittain Brown. (Brown was then waived Tuesday, leaving Swift as a solo act.)
As the Bears head toward the season opener, the health of Roschon Johnson and Monangai is worth monitoring.
Said Ben Johnson: “The most troubling and concerning part right now is just making sure we have enough depth so that we have a full stable of guys going forward. But I have full confidence that for Week 1 — and really for the whole season — we’re going to be just fine there.”
What’s next?
In Poles’ first year as GM, he made six waiver claims. One, cornerback Josh Blackwell, remains with the team.
That’s not a rare number for Year 1 of a rebuild. Now in Year 4, Poles knows the roster is in better shape and he won’t have to be as active, but he’s always looking for ways to improve the team. That means the personnel staff will be staying late, ordering food, going through the nearly 1,200 players who have been cut over the past week to see who could be a possible fit.
If they identify someone, that means a player who’s on the team Tuesday won’t be by Wednesday afternoon. Fortunately for the Bears as a whole, and those players who would be in jeopardy, the depth has improved to a point where waivers shouldn’t offer much as far as upgrades.
“It gets harder because the roster is better, so the spots are limited,” Poles said. “But yeah, it’s a lot of fun just searching, trying to find guys based on some traits, or the certain teams that are really deep, you know, at one position. So we know that they can’t keep them all and identify which one of those guys could help us.”
(Top photo of Jahdae Walker: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
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