The Bears made a flurry of move to trim their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday, per a team announcement, headlined by the activation of Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson from the physically unable to perform list.
Johnson missed all of training camp after injuring his leg during offseason training. Chicago is hoping that he can be ready for Week 1, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, but the 26-year-old still hasn’t returned to the practice field. Keeping him on the 53-man roster suggests that the team believe he has a good chance of coming back in the first four weeks of the season.
The Bears also activated Tory Taylor to the roster in a procedural move. The Australian-born punter was given an international exemption to give Chicago an extra, 91st roster spot during the offseason, but he cannot keep the exemption and remain on the 53-man roster.
Here are the rest of the Bears’ roster moves:
Placed on injured reserve (designated to return)
Waived/injured
- DB Tysheem Johnson
- OL Doug Kramer
- OL Bill Murray
Waived
- WR Maurice Alexander
- RB Brittain Brown
- LS Luke Elkin
- DL Jonathan Ford
- DB Mekhi Garner
- DL Jamree Kromah
- OL Jordan McFadden
- DL Zacch Pickens
- WR JP Richardson
- WR Tyler Scott
- OL Ricky Stromberg
Released
- WR Miles Boykin
- TE Stephen Carlson
- DL Tanoh Kpassagnon
Homer appeared in 10 games for the Bears in 2024, primarily on special teams. He re-signed in Chicago this offseason and will spent a minimum of four games on the sidelines to start the year as he deals with a calf injury, per Biggs. Ogbongbemiga, also a returning special teams ace, will also be out for at least four weeks after injuring his shoulder.
The Bears tried to trade McFadden before final roster cuts, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, but were unable to find a partner and waived the former Charger.
Pickens and Scott are two 2023 draft picks that will not survive the team’s coaching change. Pickett, the first pick of the third round, started three games last year and appeared in six more with minimal production. Scott, a fourth-round pick, started four games as a rookie before fading into the background with just one reception in 2024.
Richardson is a practice squad candidate after a strong training camp, per Biggs. So is Stromberg, according to Adam Jahn of CHGO Sports. The former Commanders third-round pick will provide depth at center behind Drew Dalman and Ryan Bates.
Kpassagnon followed Dennis Allen to Chicago this offseason and signed a one-year deal with no guaranteed money, making him an ideal candidate to be released and re-signed to the practice squad via a handshake agreement. That appears to be the plan, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, which will keep the veteran linemen available for early-season elevations to the active roster.