The Chicago Bears announced their initial 53-man roster Tuesday, and for the most part, there weren't many surprises about who made the team.
Sure, most Bears fans expected veteran guard Michael Schofield to make the roster, and perhaps Trevon Coley was a disappointing cut. But there's still a chance one or both players could make their way back to Chicago via the practice squad or a mid-week signing.
Remember: wide receiver N'Keal Harry had to be on the initial 53-man roster to allow the Bears to activate him at some point in the regular season. He'll be stashed on injured reserve in the coming days, which will open a roster spot for a player like Schofield or Coley.
Let's dive into the Chicago Bears' 53-man roster and issue some grades.
QB (2): Justin Fields, Trevor Siemian
Grade: B+
-No real surprise here. Fields is the franchise and Siemian is a quality veteran backup. Nathan Peterman was released but should be back on the practice squad soon.
RB (3): David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, Trestan Ebner
Grade: B
-Much like quarterback, there weren't any surprises at running back. Montgomery is the bell cow, and Herbert is as good of a backup as there is in the league right now. Ebner flashed quality playmaking ability in the preseason and was simply more impressive than Darrynton Evans.
FB (2): Khari Blasingame, Jake Tonges
Grade: B-
-Two fullbacks? Well, not really. Tonges is more of a tight end than fullback. His versatility adds a nice dimension to an offense that could need his skill set as a pass-catcher at some point in the regular season.
WR (7): Darnell Mooney, Velus Jones Jr., Equanimeous St. Brown, Dante Pettis, Tajae Sharpe, Bryon Pringle, N’Keal Harry
Grade: C
-Mooney is the WR1, and Chicago Bears fans should feel good about that. However, the list of receivers on the final roster is a bit of a reality check. Pettis has been fantastic this preseason and has a chance to emerge as the WR2 early in the year, but Poles could focus on adding another receiver to this group over the next few days. There are simply too many unknowns to feel overly confident right now.
TE (2): Cole Kmet, Ryan Griffin
Grade: C+
-Kmet has a chance to emerge as one of the NFC's better all-around tight ends in 2022. Griffin is a quality backup who has some pass-catching chops. And remember: Tonges is more tight end than fullback. Still, there isn't much depth here, and if Kmet goes down with an injury, tight end will become a massive weakness.
OL (9): Braxton Jones, Cody Whitehair, Teven Jenkins, Riley Reiff, Sam Mustipher, Larry Borom, Zachary Thomas, Lucas Patrick, Ja’Tyre Carter
Grade: C-
-Reading through the list of offensive linemen who made the Chicago Bears' final roster was a dose of reality. The training camp competition camouflaged what's an obvious weakness heading into 2022. To be clear, the Bears' offensive line is a weakness because, in a way, it's unproven. Perhaps Jones becomes a blue-chip left tackle. Jenkins has Pro Bowl guard potential. Maybe Borom is destined to be an eight-year starter at right tackle. It just feels like the Bears need a lot of things to break their way for this group to be average or slightly above average.
After publishing this article, the Chicago Bears claimed former first-rounder Alex Leatherwood off waivers. Despite Leatherwood's struggles at right tackle in 2021, the 17th overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft offers the Bears upside as a potential starter at guard or tackle in 2022. This was a great move by Poles and pushes the offensive line's grade from a C- to a C+.
DL (8): Trevis Gipson, Angelo Blackson, Justin Jones, Robert Quinn, Khyiris Tonga, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Dominique Robinson, Mike Pennel Jr.
Grade: B-
-Quinn pushes this group to an above-average grade. His 18.5 sacks in 2021 were a franchise record, and he'll be the key cog in a pass rush that needs a breakout year from Gipson and quality production from Muhammad. The interior defensive line lacks depth, but Jones should enjoy a career-year in Matt Eberflus' system. I'd imagine Poles will add a player or two to this group before the season kicks off.
LB (6): Roquan Smith, Nicholas Morrow, Joe Thomas, Matt Adams, Caleb Johnson, Jack Sanborn
Grade: B+
-Smith is an elite linebacker and it's because of him that this group gets a really good grade. Morrow has sideline-to-sideline ability, and I have a sneaky suspicion that Adams could be a name that emerges in 2022. There's a lot to like about Sanborn's future, too. This is a quality bundle of linebackers who can all play.
S (5): Eddie Jackson, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Elijah Hicks, Dane Cruikshank, Jaquan Brisker
Grade: B+
-I debated an A- for the Chicago Bears' safeties. The combination of Jackson and Brisker has the potential to be the best in the NFL in a season or two. The depth is fantastic, too. Houston-Carson is a pro's pro, Cruikshank has starter's ability, and Hicks is an appealing developmental player with high-end special teams upside.
CB (6): Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Kindle Vildor, Lamar Jackson, Duke Shelley, Jaylon Jones
Grade: B-
-Johnson and Gordon are an exciting young pair of cornerbacks, but the depth behind them is worrisome. We know who Vildor and Shelly are at this point in their careers, and I don't think many Bears fans would be comfortable with either one of them in the starting lineup. Still, cornerbacks are hard to find, and Chicago has two really good ones atop the depth chart.
Specialist (3)
K (1): Cairo Santos
Grade: A-
-Santos was one of the best kickers in the NFL in 2021. He should remain in that tier in 2022.
P (1): Trenton Gill
Grade: C+
-We can't give Gill a high grade until he starts blasting kicks in regular season games.
LS (1): Patrick Scales
Grade: B+
-Old reliable. Scales is back, and he'll do his job.