Why did Velus Jones Jr. stick, and how Ryan Poles was right: Takeaways from the Chicago Bears' 53-man roster

The Chicago Bears have done it. They have pieced together a 53-man roster heading into the first week of the 2024 regular season.

On the surface, there weren't any surprises.

Here are some takeaways from the Bears' 53-man roster.

Ryan Poles' was right

On cutdown day, Bears' general manager Ryan Poles' words rang pretty true.

"This is kind of a different situation we've been in the first two years," Poles said before training camp opened. "A lot of these position battles are going to be tight and it gets harder and harder to create that 53-man roster just because there's an influx of talent. 

The theme was clear: this roster would be hard to crack.

As the team furthers itself away from the 3-14 season it had in 2022, there are plenty of established talents across the board. Take, for example, the secondary.

There were plenty of standouts this preseason, including veteran safety Adrian Colbert and undrafted rookies Leon Jones and Reddy Steward. All three were solid in camp, making plays that fell in line with the Bears' H.I.T.S. principle that head coach Matt Eberflus instilled.

Jones and Steward were waived. Colbert was released.

Josh Blackwell and Elijah Hicks had camps just as good as Jones and Steward, and with Jonathan Owens, Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard already solidified on the roster there wasn't room for Colbert.

Blackwell was a player that was expected to fight for his role on the team entering camp. He now enters the first week of the regular season as key reserve in the secondary and as a contributor on special teams.

For this reason, it's also impressive that Daniel Hardy made the team.

The Bears went out of their way to acquire Darrell Taylor in a trade to bolster the pass rush alongside Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker. Hardy, who shined in the preseason along with Austin Booker, did enough to make the team.

A team that has playoff aspirations had a cutdown day that reflected it.

"It's challenging," Poles said in July. "But it's a good problem to have."

What to make of Velus Jones Jr. AND DeAndre Carter on the team

It's been clear from the beginning of the season that the Bears were giving Velus Jones Jr. every chance he could get to make the team.

His special teams value was at the forefront, but the Bears decided to move him to running back during training camp to see if he could carve out any more value for himself.

The Bears saw enough. Jones is a Bear.

So, though, is DeAndre Carter, who the Bears signed as a special teams ace who saw plenty of reps returning punts.

The new kickoff rules have been a focal point for the Bears this offseason, especially when it comes to figuring out which players will be returning kicks and the skill sets needed there. Jones' skill sets are desired there, and he's shown enough on offense to prove he can stick after his 111-yard performance in the preseason finale.

Both, though, are the fourth and fifth receivers playing behind DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze and Tyler Scott.

How much Jones and Carter figure into the offense remains to be seen. But, they're on the roster as wide receivers.

Poles is giving his draft picks time

This rings true for Jones, but it's also true for other positions as well.

The Bears gave Braxton Jones the grace and space to grow into the team's starting left tackle. That has paid off in a player that's a serviceable starter in the NFL and can improve.

There might not be a player that felt this more than linebacker Noah Sewell. 

Sewell was injured for a good amount of time in training camp. In that time, Micah Baskerville showed what he was able to do creating turnovers at linebacker.

The Bears still opted to keep Sewell over Baskerville.

Poles also made the decision to keep Doug Kramer and Dominique Robinson, giving those two more chances to fill in key depth roles across the roster.

The Bears haven't kept all of Poles' selections. Zachary Thomas, Kendall Williamson and Travis Bell never played a down for the Bears. Running back Tristan Ebner and punter Trenton Gill never made it to a second season in Chicago.

Offensive lineman Ja'Tyre Carter, a Poles' draft pick in 2022, was waived as the roster was cut down.

That doesn't takeaway from what Poles and the Bears are doing to give their picks every chance they can to flourish in Chicago.

There are still more moves to come

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bears are expected to place long snapper Patrick Scales onto the short-term injured reserve. That opens up a spot for the Bears to re-sign fullback Khari Blasingame, which the team is expected to do.

The Bears are also putting their practice squad together, which should include Collin Johnson, Brenden Bates, Austin Reed, Steward and Jones, or some combination of those players.

Who will the Bears' longsnapper be?

What will the practice squad look like?

We'll know more this week.