The Chicago Bears have until 3 p.m. Tuesday to submit their initial 53-man roster to the NFL office. But general manager Ryan Poles, coach Matt Eberflus and their staffs already have begun making moves to push the team in that direction.
In addition to a pair of trades Poles made to add Darrell Taylor and Chris Williams to his defensive line, the team also made a series of other decisions as Week 1 approaches.
As the Bears roster takes shape in the coming days ahead of their Sept. 8 season opener against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field, here are all of the latest developments.
Saturday
The Bears waived undrafted rookie defensive tackle Keith Randolph Jr., defensive end Khalid Kareem and receiver Freddie Swain and terminated the contract of vested veteran tight end Tommy Sweeney. The team also placed three players — receiver Nsimba Webster, defensive back Douglas Coleman III and running back Ian Wheeler — on injured reserve.
All three IR moves are season-ending. Wheeler, an undrafted rookie out of Howard, suffered a torn ACL in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. Coleman, meanwhile, suffered a neck injury in that game and left the field on a stretcher. After being evaluated at a hospital, he was cleared Friday to fly back to Chicago.
The Bears will have to submit their initial 53-man roster Tuesday but will have the opportunity to bring 17 players back to their practice squad if they clear waivers.
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