The first wave of NFL free agency is in the books, where the Chicago Bears made some moves to strengthen some positions and fill some pressing needs on the roster.
Although, the work is far from done for Bears general manager Ryan Poles, as there are still some roster holes that need to be filled heading into the second wave of free agency and ahead of the NFL draft.
With the slew of moves made over the last week — from signings to cuts to trades — the roster looks different than it did even a week ago. Here’s a look at where the Bears roster stands following the first wave of free agency.
Quarterbacks
- Justin Fields
- PJ Walker
Fields is entering a pivotal third season with the Bears, where the expectation is he takes a step forward in the passing game. The team signed Walker to serve as Fields’ backup and released Trevor Siemian shortly after.
Running backs
- Khalil Herbert
- D’onta Foreman
- Travis Homer
- Trestan Ebner
- Khari Blasingame
The Bears overhauled the running back room after David Montgomery exited in free agency. They signed Foreman and Homer to serve alongside Herbert at running back. Foreman should challenge Herbert for playing time while Homer also brings production and consistency on special teams. Chicago also re-signed fullback Khari Blasingame to a two-year deal.
Wide receivers
- DJ Moore
- Darnell Mooney
- Chase Claypool
- Velus Jones Jr.
- Equanimeous St. Brown
- Nsimba Webster
- Daurice Fountain
- Joe Reed
The Bears upgraded their wide receiver group with the addition of Moore, who was part of the trade for the No. 1 pick with the Panthers. Now, Chicago’s top wideouts include Moore, Mooney and Claypool, as well as Jones and St. Brown.
Tight ends
- Cole Kmet
- Robert Tonyan
- Jake Tonges
- Chase Allen
Kmet is coming off a career year with the Bears, where he was a big part of the passing game. Chicago signed Tonyan to a one-year deal in free agency, where he’ll serve as a nice complement to Kmet. Tonyan is more of a receiver than a blocker, and he should factor into the red zone approach.
Offensive line
- Cody Whitehair
- Teven Jenkins
- Braxton Jones
- Nate Davis
- Lucas Patrick
- Larry Borom
- Alex Leatherwood
- Ja’Tyre Carter
- Doug Kramer
- Dieter Eiselen
- Kellen Diesch
No starting job is guaranteed on the offensive line right now. But Chicago does have pieces in place that could factor into the starting lineup, including Jenkins, Jones and Whitehair. They added a solid starter in Davis, who will factor in at left or right guard. Poles hinted that we could see Whitehair back at center, where he’s served in the past. But there’s still a glaring hole at right tackle through this first wave.
Edge rushers
- DeMarcus Walker
- Trevis Gipson
- Dominique Robinson
- Jalyn Holmes
- Gerri Green
- Andrew Brown
- Terrell Lewis
The Bears added production at defensive end with the signing of Walker, who’s coming off a career year with 7.0 sacks. Walker also has versatility playing both inside and off the edge. He leads a defensive end group that also features Gipson and Robinson. Still, it feels like we could see more moves coming at the position in free agency and the NFL draft.
Defensive line
- Justin Jones
- Andrew Billings
- Donovan Jeter
The Bears still need that disruptive 3-technique to power Matt Eberflus’ defense, but they did add some beef to the interior of the line with Billings. Billings is a 1-technique who should help shore up the run defense. Jones is the only other interior player on the roster that factors into a starting role. So there’s more work to be done at defensive tackle this offseason.
Linebackers
- Tremaine Edmunds
- T.J. Edwards
- Jack Sanborn
- Sterling Weatherford
- DeMarquis Gates
- Kuony Deng
The Bears completely overhauled their linebacking corp with the additions of Edmunds and Edwards, who will serve the MIKE and WILL roles in Eberflus’ defense (to be determined). They’ll join last year’s standout rookie Sanborn, who should serve in the SAM spot.
Cornerbacks
- Jaylon Johnson
- Kyler Gordon
- Kindle Vildor
- Jaylon Jones
- Josh Blackwell
- Greg Stroman
- Harrison Hand
- Michael Ojemudia
The Bears didn’t make any moves at cornerback in the first wave of free agency. Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie deal, where he’s back as the team’s CB1. Gordon played both in the slot and on the boundary during his rookie year, so it’ll be interesting to see where Chicago keeps him in year 2. Johnson and Gordon headline the cornerback group, but the Bears still need a third cornerback to add to the mix.
Safeties
- Eddie Jackson
- Jaquan Brisker
- Elijah Hicks
- A.J. Thomas
- Adrian Colbert
Jackson and Brisker anchor a safety group that is arguably the strength of the roster right now. Jackson is coming off season-ending foot injury while Brisker is coming off a solid rookie campaign. Hicks will be a key reserve at safety and special teams contributor, and it also wouldn’t a surprise to see DeAndre Houston-Carson brought back. Chicago didn’t make any moves at safety in the first wave of free agency.
Specialists
- Cairo Santos
- Trenton Gill
- Patrick Scales
The Bears re-signed Scales to a one-year deal to keep their special teams trio in tact heading into 2023. Chicago has consistency with their core specialists in Santos, Gill and Scales, who are heading into their second year together.
