The Bears reached the NFL's mandatory 53-man limit Tuesday by waiving 21 players, terminating the contracts of four vested veterans and placing running back Tarik Cohen on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Five players who were waived have appeared in regular season games for the Bears: Running backs Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce, receiver Riley Ridley, guard Arlington Hambright and outside linebacker James Vaughters.
The four veterans the Bears released were cornerbacks Artie Burns and Desmond Trufant, safety Marqui Christian and center Adam Redmond. They are not subject to the waiver process and are able to sign with another team immediately.
Being placed on the PUP list means that Cohen will miss at least the first six regular-season games. He continues to recover from a torn ACL he sustained last season in a Week 3 win over the Falcons in Atlanta.
Two 2021 rookie sixth-round draft picks were waived in receiver Dazz Newsome and cornerback Thomas Graham Jr.
Players with NFL experience waived by the Bears included receivers Chris Lacy (3 years), Isaiah Coulter (2) and Jon'Vea Johnson (1); center Dieter Eiselen (1); and safety Teez Tabor (3).
Undrafted rookies who were waived were tight end Scooter Harrington, tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr., defensive end Daniel Archibong, outside linebackers Sam Kamara and Charles Snowden; cornerback Dionte Ruffin; and kicker Brian Johnson.
Defensive tackle LaCale London and cornerback Tre Roberson were waived/injured.
On Wednesday, the Bears can establish a 16-man practice squad, with six of those players having unlimited NFL experience.
NFL clubs typically stock their practice squads with players they waived during final cuts, so several of the players trimmed from the Bears roster Tuesday could be re-signed to the practice squad.
The Bears kept three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster in Andy Dalton, Justin Fields and Nick Foles, and three running backs in David Montgomery, Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert.
They kept five receivers in Allen Robinson II, Darnell Mooney, Rodney Adams, Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd.
Five tight ends made the 53-man roster: Cole Kmet, Jimmy Graham, Jesse James, J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted, who no doubt helped his cause by catching three touchdown passes in last Saturday's preseason finale in Tennessee.
The Bears kept 10 offensive linemen. They include left tackle Jason Peters, left guard Cody Whitehair, center Sam Mustipher, right guard James Daniels and right tackle Germain Ifedi. The rest of the unit is comprised of Alex Bars, Elijah Wilkinson, Lachavious Simmons, Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins, who is expected to return later in the season after recovering from back surgery.
Five defensive linemen earned roster spots in tackles Akiem Hicks and Angelo Blackson; nose tackles Eddie Goldman and Khyiris Tonga; and end Bilal Nichols. End Mario Edwards Jr. will open the season on the reserve/suspended list.
Outside linebackers are Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Trevis Gipson and Jeremiah Attaochu. Inside linebackers include Danny Trevathan, Roquan Smith, Alec Ogletree, Christian Jones, Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Josh Woods and Caleb Johnson, the lone undrafted rookie to earn a roster spot.
The Bears kept eight defensive backs in cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Kindle Vildor, Duke Shelley and Xavier Crawford; and safeties Eddie Jackson, Tashaun Gipson, Deon Bush and DeAndre Houston-Carson.
Of the 53 players, 52 have been acquired since Ryan Pace became Bears general manager in 2015. The only exception is punter Pat O'Donnell, a 2014 sixth-round draft pick.
Here's a breakdown of the 53-man roster as it stands now (in alphabetical order):
Quarterbacks (3): Andy Dalton, Justin Fields, Nick Foles.
Running backs (3): Khalil Herbert, David Montgomery, Damien Williams.
Receivers (5): Rodney Adams, Damiere Byrd, Marquise Goodwin, Darnell Mooney, Allen Robinson II.
Tight ends (5): Jimmy Graham, J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horsted, Jesse James, Cole Kmet.
Offensive linemen (10): Alex Bars, Larry Borom, James Daniels, Germain Ifedi, Teven Jenkins, Sam Mustipher, Jason Peters, Lachavious Simmons, Cody Whitehair, Elijah Wilkinson.
Defensive linemen (5): Angelo Blackson, Eddie Goldman, Akiem Hicks, Bilal Nichols, Khyiris Tonga.
Inside linebackers (7): Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Caleb Johnson, Christian Jones, Alec Ogletree, Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, Josh Woods.
Outside linebackers (4): Jeremiah Attaochu, Trevis Gipson, Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn.
Cornerbacks (4): Xavier Crawford, Jaylon Johnson, Duke Shelley, Kindle Vildor.
Safeties (4): Deon Bush, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Tashaun Gipson Sr., Eddie Jackson.
Specialists (3): Pat O'Donnell, Cairo Santos, Patrick Scales.
