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Short-handed backfield headlines some of the biggest concerns on the Bears initial 53-man roster following final cuts

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kole Noble | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 8:12 PM ET

The Chicago Bears have finalized the initial 53-man roster going into the regular season after parting ways with multiple players and making a few necessary roster decisions.

Before we get into some of the notable concerns on the roster, let's first stress that this is the INITIAL 53-man roster. Changes can, and most likely will, be made to this group before the Week 1 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in less than two weeks.

With that being said, here are some of the major concerns that pop of the sheet looking at this list:

Backfield looks like a major issue, but the coaches have a plan

As it stands, the Bears are bringing three running backs into the regular season in D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, and seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai.

It's a solid trio to have on the roster, but the problem is that Johnson and Monangai have been dealing with some injuries that forced them to miss key opportunities in camp and in the preseason.

"There is some question mark on when all these guys will be fully healthy again," head coach Ben Johnson explained. ""We're working through that. We'll always be looking if there's guys out there that we can help upgrade that room… I think the injury part of it, that is the most troubling and concerning part right now is just making sure we have enough depth so that we have a full stable of guys going forward but I have full confidence that Week 1 and really for the whole season we're going to be just fine there."

The reason why Johnson feels that way is because the Bears plan to get creative early on with how the run game looks and which players could get carries, as we've seen with DJ Moore working in the backfield throughout the last few weeks of training camp.

"We're depleted a little bit in that area as you can see, and so, we got to find ways to get our guys the ball," offensive coordinator Declan Doyle added. "That doesn't always have to be the running back; that can be a wideout, that can be a tight end, but we'll continue to try to get the balls and the ball in the hands of our playmakers."

DJ Moore taking snaps at RB
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— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) August 25, 2025

Can Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo lift up a weak DE position?

As for the defensive end position, the Bears are expecting big things out of Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo, who each carry a hefty price tag at the position with a lot of expectations to back it up.

General manager Ryan Poles and the coaching staff have repeatedly praised the offseason Sweat has had coming off an injury-riddled down year in 2024 and believe he can regain his status as a top edge rusher for this team. As for Odeyingbo, the team is betting heavily on his upside in this new scheme.

Behind those two starters, the Bears carried three backups in terms of pure edge rushers in Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson, and Daniel Hardy. The downside is that Booker is dealing with a knee injury and expected to miss weeks and Robinson has been a little banged up as well.

Despite those concerns, the Bears seem content with this group, and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's ability to get creative with all his defensive line talent to generate a consistent pass rush.

Starting LT position is still undecided, and could continue to change

Earlier on Tuesday, the team's head coach confirmed the starting left tackle position is still undecided and an official decision for Week 1 will come at some point next week.

Fourth-year tackle Braxton Jones is viewed as the front-runner for the job, but the team is planning to keep a short leash on the position with consistency being a big determining factor.

"I said it a few weeks ago, we feel good about the guys we have in that room," Johnson explained. "Someone’s going to take the bull by the horns and is going to completely take over. But, we’re not afraid to make a change if the performance isn’t where it needs to be."

As for who that change could be, the Bears made a rare decision to keep five tackles on the roster with second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo and two second-year players in Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie as potential left tackle options the staff could turn to.

It's a risky game to play with such a critical position on the offensive line.