Chicago Bears roster by the numbers: More experience, talent, depth around Caleb Williams (2024)

When the New York Jets claimed tight end Brenden Bates off waivers from the Chicago Bears, it probably stung at Halas Hall.

Bates, an undrafted rookie, showed promise in camp as a blocking tight end. Maybe in the past two years, he would have made the team.

It’s a bittersweet moment, though, because as much as the Bears might have wanted to get Bates to the practice squad, the best rosters usually have players claimed off waivers after cutdown day. He doesn’t count as a waiver claim, but quarterback Brett Rypien, who had a good preseason in Chicago, was signed by the Vikings to their active roster.

“This year by far from the first two years was the most difficult time whittling this thing down to 53,” general manager Ryan Poles said last week.

We don’t know how good the 2024 Bears will be. It’s hard to go far with a rookie quarterback, and they’re in a tough division, but as far as the 53-man roster they carry into the first week of the season, it’s as talented, deep and experienced as the Bears have had in a bit.

Quarterback (2):Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent

Running back (5): D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Khari Blasingame (fullback)

Wide receiver (6):DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, DeAndre Carter, Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr.

Tight end (3):Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, Marcedes Lewis

Offensive line (10):Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Ryan Bates, Matt Pryor, Doug Kramer, Kiran Amegadjie, Bill Murray

Defensive end (6): Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker, Darrell Taylor, Dominique Robinson, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy

Defensive tackle (4): Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, Zacch Pickens, Chris Williams

Linebacker (5): Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Noah Sewell

Cornerback (6): Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Terell Smith, Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones

Safety (4): Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, Elijah Hicks, Jonathan Owens

Special teams (2): Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor

Note: Long snapper Scott Daly is currently on the practice squad. Velus Jones is still listed as a wide receiver on the Bears’ roster.

Here’s the annual “by the numbers” breakdown of the roster.

143: Pass attempts combined for 2024 Bears quarterbacks

You can have a lot of fun with the youth and inexperience of the Bears QB room of Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent. You can also argue it’s one of the better 1-2 punches the Bears have had at quarterback in a bit.

Williams, of course, will get his first NFL start on Sunday. Bagent played in five games with four starts last season, throwing 143 passes (and completing 94 of them). He’s officially a second-year pro. Here’s who is joining the other rookie QBs (Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy) in the league this season:

From what we’ve seen from Williams, he doesn’t seem like a player who “needs” a “veteran” backup — and Bears assistant coach Ryan Griffin was a backup in the league for over a decade. Bagent may be a former Division II quarterback with only four NFL starts, but no one doubts his spot as the No. 2. It’s just a unique, and cost-efficient, quarterbacks room.

4: Ryan Pace draft picks remaining

Poles’ first two contract extensions to “homegrown” players went to players he didn’t draft, which speaks to the abilities of tight end Cole Kmet and cornerback Jaylon Johnson — and guard Teven Jenkins could be next. Pace’s best draft picks in his final two drafts have been impact players in what Poles has built. Running back Khalil Herbert is likely entering his final season in Chicago but has been productive enough to stick around. Kicker Cairo Santos was originally a Pace acquisition as well, and he received a new contract, too.

Offensive lineman Larry Borom, a 2021 fifth-round pick, is on injured reserve, along with long snapper Patrick Scales, who was a Pace signing.

Poles’ first roster had 14 Pace draft picks, and then last year’s had nine. Now we’re down to four, and likely retiring this feature as Kmet and Johnson will be in Chicago for the foreseeable future — Jenkins possibly, too.

13: Newcomers

This number was nearly cut in half from last year’s initial roster, which had 25 newcomers. The Bears return 10 of their 11 starters on defense. Three of the Bears’ five wide receivers — Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze and DeAndre Carter — were acquired last offseason as part of the incredible overhaul of that position.

“I think the big thing is there’s a level of patience there,” Poles said last week. He recalled the talk leading into his first draft about a need at wideout, but they stuck to best player available in Round 2 when taking Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker.

“We’re in this second phase of things,” he said. “Really, patience, letting the board talk to us, and then being opportunistic with the trade (for Allen), drafting Rome, there’s a lot of cool things that happened. And we used every different kind of way to acquire that talent, which is great.”

nobody will remember:
– your salary
– how “busy you were”
– how many hours you worked

people will remember:
– Caleb Williams to Rome Odunze in the third preseason game of 2024 pic.twitter.com/tA7hh2hS3T

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 19, 2024

5: Rookies

Poles’ first roster had triple the number of rookies. Last year’s 53 featured 10 rookies. Now, they’re down to the five draft picks — Caleb Williams, Odunze, Kiran Amegadjie, Tory Taylor and Austin Booker.

Poles said this would be a tough roster to make, and he said it was a tough one to finalize. The chances of an undrafted rookie making the squad were slim, and it’s illustrative of an ascending team when it comes to roster-building, one that doesn’t need to rely on an abundance of rookies.

Of course, a rookie is going to be the most important player.

1,364: Combined career receptions among Allen, DJ Moore and Odunze

This is kind of like how Michael Jordan and I have combined to win six NBA championships by including Odunze, but it is noteworthy to highlight how much production the Bears have simply with their top two wideouts. The six wide receivers on the initial 2022 roster combined for 303 career catches.

26.36: Average age of Bears initial roster

According to Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice, the Bears’ roster last Tuesday was the 13th-oldest roster (or 20th youngest). He explains his methodology here.

This is the oldest Bears roster since 2021.

Now, having 40-year-old Marcedes Lewis will affect it. After placing long snapper Patrick Scales, 36, on injured reserve, and with other roster moves made in the days after cuts, the average age is 26.21, which would make them the 17th youngest.

Say the Bears kept undrafted rookie Brenden Bates instead of Lewis as the No. 3 tight end, now the average age is 25.91, which would move the Bears all the way up to 12th youngest.

This is the natural progression of a rebuild. The Bears should be a little older, and obviously Lewis skews things a bit, but Poles has been able to add players like Keenan Allen (32) and Kevin Byard (31) for a team ready to compete in 2024, something he wouldn’t have been as apt to do in the previous seasons.

25: Returning takeaways

You hear a lot about returning starts, especially in college football. How about the fact that of the Bears’ 28 takeaways last season — 22 interceptions and six fumble recoveries — players on this year’s team accounted for 25 of them?

It’s a reflection of a defense that has only two new starters in Byard and Gervon Dexter. While takeaways are not reliable year to year, the Bears should be due for more fumble recoveries this season.

17: Combined offensive line combinations in Poles/Eberflus era

After nine starting lineups up front in 2022, the Bears had eight last season. Darnell Wright started every game at right tackle, but there were three starters at right guard, three at center and two each at left guard and left tackle.

Poles said last week, “This is probably the best depth I’ve had” on the O-line. He said one of the offensive linemen he cut told him, “This is the deepest room I’ve been a part of.” You can’t do much to control injuries, but Poles hopes that the new players in this room — Coleman Shelton, Ryan Bates, Matt Pryor and Amegadjie — will provide better options if a starter goes down.

Speaking of Shelton, assuming he will get the nod for Week 1, he’ll be the Bears’ fifth opening-day center in the past six seasons.

99: Consecutive games for long snapper Patrick Scales

Scales injured his back in the Hall of Fame Game, and that will snap his streak before it hits the century mark. It must have taken the team time to sort through his timetable during the rest of camp instead of bringing in a veteran. Scott Daly, a Downers Grove native and former Lion, will be the snapper for Week 1.

Scales missed the entire 2017 season with a torn ACL but is the team’s longest-tenured player and the only Bear on the team acquired before 2020. The last time someone other than Scales snapped in a game for the Bears was the 2017 season finale, the final game of the John Fox era — Andrew DePaola, who has gone to back-to-back Pro Bowls with the Vikings.

3: Former Bears defensive tackles on the Cardinals

I’m a sucker for quirky revenge-game narratives, and Arizona, the Bears’ Week 9 opponent, has Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols and Khyiris Tonga on its 53-man roster, all at the same position. And for those keeping score at home, two Pace draft picks made the Falcons’ 53-man roster: Eddie Goldman and Darnell Mooney.

(Photo of DJ Moore: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)