The Bears have until Sept. 2 to trim their roster from 90 players to 53.
The NFL’s new cutdown rule eliminated the first round of roster moves, meaning the Bears will have all four preseason games to determine who makes the team — and who is part of the bloodiest day in league history.
With the Bears ready to report to training camp Wednesday in Bourbonnais, here’s how we handicap each offensive player’s odds of making the team:
Quarterbacks
They’ll likely keep: 3
They’re in: Mike Glennon, Mark Sanchez, Mitch Trubisky
They’re out: Connor Shaw
Battle to watch: Trubisky vs. the Learning Curve. The Bears have no plans to start the No. 2 overall pick any time soon, but they like his accuracy and footwork. His intangibles won’t be on full display until he faces other teams in preseason games. The team expects ups and downs this preseason, but a solid August could help his confidence in a year when he might not take a relevant snap.
The big number: 11 — NFL passes attempted by Glennon since the end of the 2014 season.
He said it: ”I’ve been in similar situations, but no, not the same as what this is. Ultimately I’m just trying to focus on right now.” — Glennon
Running backs
They’ll likely keep: 4
They’re in: Jordan Howard, Jeremy Langford, Tarik Cohen
They’re on the bubble: Ka’Deem Carey, Benny Cunningham, Michael Burton, Freddie Stevenson
They’re out: Joel Bouagnon,
Battle to watch: Carey vs. Cunningham. Special teams prowess will dictate which backup makes the team. Cunningham has 2,575 kick return yards since 2013 but will have to beat out incumbent Deonte Thompson, among others.
The big number: 12 — Carries by Howard in the first three games last year; he still finished second in the NFL with 1,313 rushing yards.
He said it: “I don’t want to come off the field as much.” — Howard
Wide receivers
They’ll likely keep: 6
They’re in: Cam Meredith, Kevin White, Markus Wheaton, Josh Bellamy
They’re on the bubble: Victor Cruz, Kendall Wright, Deonte Thompson, Daniel Braverman
They’re out: Titus Davis, Tanner Gentry, Rueben Randle
Battle to watch: White vs. his body. After playing only four games in two years, White must stay healthy. He’s got a lot of money riding on it; the Bears must decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option after this season.
The big number: 62 — Catches by Victor Cruz, combined, the past two seasons. Before, he’d never had fewer than 73 in a single year.
He said it: “I think his past two position coaches probably weren’t able to develop him as much as they would have liked because of the injury setback. So I get to almost start from Square 1.” — WR coach Zach Azzanni, on White
Tight ends
They’ll likely keep: 3
They’re in: Dion Sims, Adam Shaheen
They’re on the bubble: Zach Miller, Daniel Brown
They’re out: Ben Braunecker, MyCole Pruitt
Battle to watch: Miller vs. Brown. The Bears seemingly prepared for life without the 32-year-old Miller when they gave Sims $10 million guaranteed and used their second-round pick on Shaheen. If Brown and Miller have similar camps, the former has the edge — he’s seven years younger and makes the minimum. Miller is recovering from foot surgery.
The big number: 74 — Catches in Sims’ four-year career.
He said it: “I think a lot of times, tight ends that cross over from college football to the NFL, the hardest thing is the blocking. But he has a lot of the measurables that it takes to do it.” — Coach John Fox on Shaheen
Offensive line
They’ll likely keep: 9
They’re in: Charles Leno, Kyle Long, Cody Whitehair, Josh Sitton, Bobby Massie
They’re on the bubble: Eric Kush, Hroniss Grasu, Tom Compton, Bradley Sowell, Jordan Morgan
They’re out: Mitchell Kirsch, Taylor Boggs, William Poehls, Cyril Richardson, Dieugot Joseph
Battle to watch: Kush vs. Grasu. The Bears gave Kush a two-year contract to add depth — he can play both guard and center — but Grasu is one year, and one ACL tear, removed from being the starting center.
The big number: 73 — Quarterback hits allowed by the Bears last season; only eight teams gave up fewer.
He said it: “Kinesthetically, it’s different as far as how you fit, how you squeeze, the directions.” —Fox, on flipping Long to left guard and Sitton to right
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