Chicago Bears Training Camp 2024: Predicting the winning roster to start the season

Now that the preseason is over, the Chicago Bears coaches and front office set out to choose the players they feel could help the team win in one of the most impactful seasons in memory.

The Chicago Bears have now finished their 2024 preseason. While it was great to see them score points in bunches and finish undefeated, they cannot carry those wins into the regular season. The next time they play, on September 8th, they will have a 0-0 record.

Now is the time for the coaching staff and front office to put their heads together to find the best players they feel can help the team win games. This is an immensely important season. Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles spoke about Year 3 being important in his rebuild. He felt this was the year the team stepped up and started to compete for a playoff spot.

Poles went about to try to ensure he had a winning product. He overhauled the offense. For the better part of three decades, this offense struggled to move the ball and score points. Poles wanted to change that. He brought in a lot of free agents and draft picks and hired Shane Waldron to run the offense.

Poles already had a strong defense. For most of the 2023 season, the defense was one of the stingiest in the NFL. Poles just tweaked it, adding some help and resigning key players. The defense hopes to become one of the elite units in the league.

Now Poles, his staff, and the coaching staff must pick the players to help make this jump. One of the things Poles is proud of is the fact that it is difficult to make this team.

We’re proud of where we’ve come from… It’s going to be hard to make this team now.

That happens to good teams. With all of the changes, many feel the Chicago Bears are once again a good team.

The Chicago Bears and every other team in the league have until August 27th to cut their rosters to the 53-man limit. Additionally, they can fill their practice squad with 17 players. It is a momentous time. The Chicago Bears’ brain trust has to take a long look at their players.

The Chicago Bears also have to keep an eye out on what other teams do. There could be players who get cut who can help the team. Poles has already shown that he is constantly looking to improve the team. In the past couple of days, he made two trades to improve the defensive line. Now let’s predict what the final roster could look like. We will go by position group.

Quarterback (2)

There will be two quarterbacks who will be the main players. League rules allow a third quarterback who could come in should the other two quarterbacks get knocked out of the game.

The third quarterback would go to the practice squad. We choose Brett Rypien to be that quarterback. The two main quarterbacks will be rookie and number one pick in the draft, Caleb Williams as QB1 and Tyson Bagent as the backup.

Running Back (6)

The Chicago Bears signed D’Andre Swift to a big free agent contract so he will be RB1. Behind him will be Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, Velus Jones Jr, and Travis Homer. Khari Blasingame will once again be the fullback.

There was a possibility that Jones would not make the team. However, the coaches moved him from wide receiver to running back and he responded well. At running back he can see the holes and hit them right away. Once he gets in the open field, his great speed will make it impossible for anyone to catch up to him.

He showed that in the final preseason game when he had 111 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. There was a battle for the final spot. It would be between Homer and Ian Wheeler. However, Wheeler tore his ACL so his season is over before it begins.

Wide Receiver (5)

This could be one of the best wide receiver groups in the league. D.J. Moore, who recently signed the highest-paying contract in Chicago Bears history, returns. With him will be six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen. Joining the top two will be the ninth overall pick, Rome Odunze.

Odunze was the third wide receiver chosen in the draft. Many feel he could be the best one, though. Being WR3, Odunze will create some mismatches. He could easily be a WR1 on most teams.

Second-year player Tyler Scott showed some flashes in his rookie season. He has had a very good training camp and with the top three receivers, he could develop more and be a good contributor. He is a big play waiting to happen. In college, he averaged 43.6 yards per touchdown play.

The final receiver to make the team is Deandre Carter. Carter could be a good special teams contributor as a returner.

Tight End (3)

Cole Kmet continues to be TE1 for the Chicago Bears. However, this season he will have help. Last season, the offense got almost nothing from the other tight ends. This season, though, he has Gerald Everett.

Everett has five consecutive seasons with 60+ catches and 400+ receiving yards. Furthermore, he has 11 touchdowns in the past three seasons. Waldron likes to use two tight end sets so both Kmet and Everett will see a lot of snaps. Behind them is the ageless Marcedes Lewis.

Offensive Line (10)

The offensive line is what will keep Poles and company up late at night. The Chicago Bears offensive line has struggled with injuries and poor play for too long. Poles wants to change all of that. With that being said, the team will likely go with 10 players.

The starting lineup will be Braxton Jones (left tackle), Teven Jenkins (left guard), Coleman Shelton (center), Nate Davis (right guard), and Darnell Wright (right tackle). Behind them will be Ryan Bates, Matt Pryor, and Kiran Amegadjie.

With Bates dealing with an injury and Amegadjie just coming off of the non-football injury list, Bill Murray, who has had a good training camp, makes it. Also, with Bates’ injury, the Chicago Bears would keep Doug Kramer as the backup center for now.

Swing tackle Larry Borom was a bubble player in training camp. However, his injury in the final game likely wipes out his season altogether.

Defensive Line (9)

The Chicago Bears’ defensive line did a great job against the run last year, ranking number one. The pass rush, however, struggled for most of the season. Montez Sweat coming aboard mid-season helped improve it, but the unit needed more.

The Chicago Bears need someone on the other side of Sweat to take some pressure off of him. It appears that the team will use a defensive end by committee. DeMarcus Walker, Austin Booker, Darrell Taylor, and Dominique Robinson will spend time there. The coaches will use the hot hand.

Booker is the interesting player here. He looks like he could be a star. However, he only had a limited college career. It could take a season before he could be a full-fledged starter. He has been very impressive so far, however.

Gervon Dexter is now a starter at the three-technique. Andrew Billings also returns as the starting nose. Chris Williams and Zacch Pickens round out the line.

Linebacker (5)

The Chicago Bears had one of the top linebacker units in the league last season. This season, most of them return. T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, and Jack Sanborn return to try to improve on what they did last season.

Noah Sewell was a dependable backup last season and has had a good training camp so he returns. The newcomer to the unit is Amen Ogbongbemiga. He was extraordinary in training camp and looked very good in the preseason so he makes the squad.

Cornerback (6)

The Chicago Bears’ secondary was also one of the best in 2023. The Bears led the league in interceptions last season. They hope to have a repeat performance in 2024. Jaylon Johnson returns with a brand new contract. He will also be back with a chip on his shoulder. He was not listed on the NFL’s Top-100 Players list. That did not go over well with him. Now he wants to show that he is among the elite cornerbacks in the league.

The Chicago Bears will also have Kyler Gordon, who has had a phenomenal training camp, and Tyrique Stevenson, who wants to build on his terrific rookie campaign. Terell Smith, Josh Blackwell, and Jaylon Jones round out the unit.

Safety (4)

While Jaquan Brisker returns, the safety unit has a makeover. All-Pro free safety Eddie Jackson is now with the Baltimore Ravens. In his place, Poles picked up former two-time All-Pro free safety Kevin Byard. With Jackson dealing with injuries in the past two seasons, Byard could be a huge upgrade.

The always dependable Elijah Hicks returns. He has done well stepping up as a starter when needed. The other newcomer to the unit is Jonathan Owens. Despite missing some time to see his wife, Olympic legend Simone Biles, in Paris, he returned and had a strong training camp.

Special Teams (3)

Cairo Santos returns to make some big field goals. He could be even more important if the Chicago Bears are involved in close games. His leg could give the Bears some big wins.

Poles drafted the big-legged punter Tory Taylor. Taylor was one of the top punters in college football history. He can flip the field and pin opposing offenses deep in their territory. With them pinned back, the Chicago Bears’ defense can be aggressive. If it does its job, then the offense could have a short field to play.

There could be a surprise at long snapper. Patrick Scales has been the man for the last eight seasons. However, he is dealing with an injury. If the injury is more severe than first thought, the Bears could go with Cameron Lyons or scour the waiver wire for another option.

There you have it, the 2024 Chicago Bears. What do you think? We will see how true these choices are when we see the official roster tomorrow.

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