Chicago Bears — 53-man roster, cuts, practice squad & what it means

CHICAGO, IL - The Chicago Bears finalized their initial 53 and immediately tuned the edges of the roster with waiver claims and practice-squad signings that reflect a heavier emphasis on depth at receiver and the defensive front.

The biggest decisions

Chicago kept three quarterbacks and leaned into speed and versatility at wideout. A young secondary stayed intact, while the staff chose continuity along the interior offensive line after an active offseason of additions and extensions.

Initial 53 (by position)

QB: Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
RB: D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer
WR: DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Jahdae Walker, Miles Boykin
TE: Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, Marcedes Lewis
OL: Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, Drew Dalman, Luke Newman, Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright, Larry Borom, Ozzy Trapilo
DL/EDGE: Montez Sweat, Grady Jarrett, Dayo Odeyingbo, DeMarcus Walker, Jonathan Ford, Shemar Turner
LB: T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Ruben Hyppolite II
DB: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tre Flowers, Nick McCloud, Ameer Speed, Jaylon Jones
Specialists: K Cairo Santos, P Tory Taylor, LS (vacated at cutdown; re-filled post-deadline)

Who was cut (and other moves)

Claims/waiver action: Claimed LB D'Marco Jackson and DB Jaylon Jones; released LS Scott Daly, WR Devin Duvernay.
Notable releases/waives to reach 53: Included OL/WR depth and LB/ST pieces during the final reduction window.
Reserve/injury list: Zah Frazier (NFI) among reserve designations at deadline.

Practice squad (official)

Maurice Alexander (WR), Miles Boykin (WR), Brittain Brown (RB), Stephen Carlson (TE), Xavier Carlton (DL), Power Echols (LB), Luke Elkin (LS), Tre Flowers (DB), Jonathan Ford (DL), Mekhi Garner (DB), Tanoh Kpassagnon (DL), Jamree Kromah (DL), Jordan McFadden (OL), JP Richardson (WR), Ricky Stromberg (OL).

What it means

The Bears balanced rookie upside with veteran ballast. Extra bodies on the defensive line and at receiver give them game-plan flexibility while the offensive core (Williams/Swift/Moore/Allen) is protected by an upgraded interior. Special teams churn will likely continue early, but the shape of this roster signals a win-now push around a rookie QB contract.