The Chicago Bears are still haunted by their kicking demons as head coach Matt Nagy went on a country-wide search to find his next kicker. The final two candidates ended up being Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro, who battled for the kicking job over the best few months.
Nagy's process to find his kicker was interesting. During minicamp, Nagy had the entire Bears roster watch the kicking candidates attempt 43-yard field goals. Dubbed "Augusta Silence," Fry and Eddy Pineiro were asked to make a 43-yard kick (the distance Cody Parkey had the famous double doink) in order to keep the entire team from having to do extra conditioning. This competition carried on into training camp, with the Bears cutting ties with Fry two weeks into the preseason.
Pineiro was the lone kicker for two weeks, having an opportunity to win the job. Ultimately, the Bears decided to keep Pineiro on their initial 53-man roster. We'll see if the Bears decide if there are better options available on the open market, but Pineiro appears to have won the job.
The Bears have now finalized the first version of their 53-man roster for Week 1 of the regular season. It's important to keep in mind that an NFL 53-man roster is fluid. Changes will be made in the next 24 hours, weeks, and months during the regular season. As of now, these are the 53 men the Bears will march into battle with every week. Below, we'll break down the roster on each side of the ball and special teams.
Offense
| Starter | Backup | Depth | Depth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Mitchell Trubisky | Chase Daniel | | |
| RB | Tarik Cohen | Mike Davis | David Montgomery | Kerrith Whyte Jr. |
| LWR | Taylor Gabriel | Cordarrelle Patterson | ||
| RWR | Anthony Miller | Riley Ridley | | |
| SWR | Allen Robinson | Javon Wims | | |
| TE | Trey Burton | Adam Shaheen | Ben Braunecker | Bradley Sowell |
| LT | Charles Leno Jr. | Cornelius Lucas | ||
| LG | Cody Whitehair | |||
| C | James Daniels | Ted Larsen | | |
| RG | Kyle Long | Ted Larsen | | |
| RT | Bobby Massie | Rashaad Coward | |
The Bears went with two quarterbacks this year, so Tyler Bray gets the boot on cut day. Trubisky and Daniel are the lone quarterbacks, but the Bears will be giving their franchise quarterback plenty of weapons on the outside this year.
Six wide receivers will make Chicago's final roster thanks to Cordarrelle Patterson and his ability in the return game. The Bears can't pass on Patterson's impact on special teams, creating a roster spot for him. Chicago has a strong starting trio in Robinson, Miller and Gabriel, with Ridley being a valuable No. 4.
The Bears will go with Cohen as the first-team running back. Mike Davis was the third-down back for the Seattle Seahawks last year, but he and Montgomery will be splitting carries as the Bears look to utilize Cohen more in the passing game. The Bears view Davis and Montgomery as the power backs to replace the production of Jordan Howard last year.
Adam Shaheen is the starting Y tight end when the Bears go in "12 personnel" while Trey Burton will play on the line. The Bears have been disappointed in how their tight ends have performed this preseason outside of the top two and could look to improve the position in the coming days. Sowell is a converted tackle.
The Bears boast a strong right side of the offensive line with Kyle Long and Bobby Massie. Ted Larsen provides solid depth at multiple positions. The Bears lack depth at tackle with T.J. Clemmings out for the season. Chicago may need more depth on the line with the Clemmings injury, but will go with Coward and Lucas at tackle.
Defense
| Starter | Backup | Depth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DT | Akiem Hicks | Roy Robertson-Harris | |
| NT | Eddie Goldman | Nick Williams | |
| DE | Bilal Nichols | Abdullah Anderson | |
| OLB | Khalil Mack | Isaiah Irving | |
| ILB | Danny Trevathan | Nick Kwiatkowski | Josh Woods |
| ILB | Roquan Smith | Joel Iyiegbuniwe | Kevin Pierre-Louis |
| OLB | Leonard Floyd | Aaron Lynch | |
| CB | Kyle Fuller | Buster Skrine | Duke Shelley |
| CB | Prince Amukamara | Kevin Toliver | |
| DB | Buster Skrine | Duke Shelley | |
| S | Ha Ha Clinton-Dix | Deon Bush | |
| S | Eddie Jackson | DeAndre Houston-Carson | Sherrick McManis |
The Bears are going with Bilal Nichols starting opposite Akiem Hicks as the other end in Chicago's 3-4 defense. Nichols surprised many in Chicago in his rookie season with 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks as a fifth-round pick out of Delaware, and he's ready to showcase more production with more snaps. The top four linemen will play the majority of the snaps as Robertson-Harris will enter the game on pass-rushing downs. Williams will provide added depth to an already strong front three.
Linebacker is in the same situation as the defensive line. The starters remain unchanged, with Mack leading arguably the best unit in the NFC. Kwiatkowski isn't great in pass coverage, but is a force against the run and could start for a number of teams in the league. Iyiegbuniwe has a lot of potential and is a favorite of the Bears coaching staff.
The Bears will keep five safeties in addition to their five cornerbacks, all of which were roster locks for weeks. McManis gets the nod because he can play both safety positions, which defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano prefers. Doesn't hurt he's excellent on special teams. Bush should see extended snaps as the safety that plays high in nickel packages.
Special teams
| Starter | Backup | Depth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| K | Eddy Pineiro | | |
| P | Pat O'Donnell | | |
| LS | Patrick Scales | | |
| KR | Cordarrelle Patterson | Anthony Miller | |
| PR | Tarik Cohen | Eddie Jackson | Duke Shelley |
Eddy Pineiro had an opportunity to win the kicking job over the last two weeks. For now the Bears will go with Pineiro, who missed an extra point in the final preseason game. Pineiro did make kicks of 58 and 21 yards while hitting all three of his extra points in Week 3 of the preseason, but there may be better kicker options on the waiver wire and available for trade.
Cohen is expected to be the No. 1 running back, but Chicago also has David Montgomery and Mike Davis in the fold. The Bears use Cohen in a variety of ways, as his 99 targets and 91 carries suggest. Adding to those duties as punt returner won't put the stress on Cohen, just another opportunity to get the ball in his hands.
