Four Bears on roster bubble as preseason opener vs. Titans arrives
Four Bears on roster bubble as preseason opener vs. Titans arrives originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Last season was a prove-yourself season for everyone on the Bears' roster. General manager Ryan Poles arrived and immediately stripped the roster down to the studs to begin a lengthy rebuild.
Almost every member of the 2022 Bears spent last season playing for their job, hoping to prove to Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus that they could be part of the long-term solution in Chicago.
Things are different this August.
Poles injected talent into the roster this offseason, forcing some notable names from last season's 3-14 team down the depth chart.
As a result, a few notable Bears appear to be squarely on the roster bubble entering Saturday's preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field.
TREVIS GIPSON, DE
When the Bears traded Robert Quinn midway through last season, the company line was that Gipson could step up and fill the No. 1 pass rusher hole vacated by Quinn.
That didn't happen.
Gipson finished the season with just three sacks and only 30 total pressures.
He entered training camp as the expected No. 2 edge rusher opposite free-agent acquisition DeMarcus Walker.
But that's not how things have played out in camp.
Gipson opened camp running with the second-team defense as Rasheem Green got the nod opposite Walker. When Walker left the first padded practice with an injury, Gipson seemed like the likely candidate to take his first-team reps.
Once again, that was not the case.
Dominique Robinson has gobbled up most of the first-team reps in Walker's absence, with Terrell Lewis also getting a small share.
Add in the signing of Yannick Ngakoue, and it appears Gipson will need an excellent preseason to secure a roster spot.
The Tulsa product has had some nice moments in camp, but he enters the first preseason game in the DE 5/6 category. The Bears could keep all six edge rushers, but there's a good chance it comes down to Gipson or Lewis.
KINDLE VILDOR, CB
This one isn't a huge surprise.
Vildor started opposite Jaylon Johnson in the nickel package last year, allowing Kyler Gordon to slide inside. Vildor gave up 26 catches on 39 targets (66.7 percent) for 369 yards and three touchdowns while allowing a passer rating of 112.
The Bears drafted cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in the second round and Terell Smith in the fifth round. Both rookies are currently battling to win the starting spot opposite Johnson. The Bears also liked what they saw from Jaylon Jones and Josh Blackwell last season. Both have passed Vildor on the unofficial depth chart and in the reps chart in camp.
Without an impressive preseason, Vildor's time in Chicago could be coming to an end.
The Bears will likely keep six wide receivers on the 53-man roster.
DJ Moore, Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney, Tyler Scott, and Velus Jones Jr. are locks.
That leaves one spot for either St. Brown or Dante Pettis.
Pettis has missed all of training camp after being placed on the non-football injury list at the end of July. But the Bears removed him from the NFI list following Wednesday's practice. Pettis is a reliable returner and had good chemistry with quarterback Justin Fields last season.
St. Brown is a good run-blocker who knows the scheme but offers little upside as a pass catcher.
Wednesday's practice could have a ripple effect on the future outlook of the wide receiver room. Claypool left practice early with a hamstring injury, allowing St. Brown to run with the ones full-time. St. Brown made a few solid grabs over the middle in situational drills but left practice early after appearing to tweak an ankle in 7-on-7.
If Claypool's hamstring injury turns out to be a multi-week issue, then St. Brown's size becomes an important asset to a receiver room filled with shorter, quicker receivers.
The Bears like St. Brown and believe he's a valuable depth piece of a revamped receiver room, but his spot is far from guaranteed.
TRESTAN EBNER, RB
When the Bears drafted Trestan Ebner in the fifth round last April, the hope was that the speedy back out of Baylor would be able to give them something as either a pass-catching weapon out of the backfield or a returner.
That never materialzied.
The Bears let David Montgomery walk in free agency but signed D'Onta Foreman and Travis Homer before drafting Roschon Johnson.
Ebner enters the preseason as the fourth running back on the Bears' depth chart ahead of Homer. But the Bears gave Homer a two-year, $4 million contract with almost $2 million guaranteed, which suggests he'll be on the roster come Week 1. Homer is a talented special teams contributor and a good pass protector.
Could the Bears keep five running backs and fullback Khari Blasingame on the 53-man roster? It's not out of the question, but Ebner has to continue to improve in camp to cement his spot.
The second-year back has been getting a decent amount of reps with the first-team offense during third-down and red-zone drills. On Wednesday, Ebner ripped off a 70-yard touchdown run against the second-team defense.
"I think the experience factor," head coach Matt Eberflus said of Ebner's improvement from last year. "He had a couple of nice runs in the red zone the other day at Family Fest. I thought he made a couple of nice cuts. I think his vision is improving because he knows the scheme. He knows where he’s supposed to be running the ball and where he’s supposed to be looking."
The arrow is pointing up for Ebner, but there's work to be done.
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