Velus Jones, running back, made the Bears’ initial 53-man roster Tuesday. Two of the other stars of ‘‘Hard Knocks’’ didn’t.
The Bears cut their quarterback room in half by releasing veteran Brett Rypien and waiving undrafted rookie Austin Reed before the NFL’s transaction deadline. Both turned in strong preseason performances — Rypien had a 131.4 passer rating and Reed a 117.4 rating in exhibition games — but the Bears were comfortable (at least for now) keeping only starter Caleb Williams and backup Tyson Bagent.
NFL tradition typically calls for a veteran mentor, but the Bears think they already have that person inside Halas Hall. Ryan Griffin, who was a quarterback for the Buccaneers as recently as 2022 and has a Super Bowl on his résumé, is an offensive assistant.
The Bears could look to Rypien to rejoin the practice squad. He doesn’t have to clear waivers at 11 a.m. Wednesday, but Reed does. Getting one to the 53-man roster by game day would enable him to serve as the team’s ‘‘emergency’’ quarterback.
Rypien and Reed became main characters in the Bears’ ‘‘Hard Knocks’’ documentary series, with the latter wowing his teammates by singing an R&B song during a team meeting. Jones became a hit when told the origin story of ‘‘Crash,’’ his late ferret.
The Bears moved Jones, a former third-round draft pick, from wide receiver to running back three weeks ago in an effort to salvage an underwhelming career. He played late into the fourth quarter of the final preseason game Thursday — not a good sign for his future — but ran 13 times for 111 yards and a touchdown. The team technically listed him as a receiver Tuesday, but he’s a running back. He has done individual drills at that position for three weeks.
General manager Ryan Poles, who made trades Friday and Saturday to solidify the Bears’ depth on the defensive line, didn’t make a splash before the deadline. Social media wanted him to, however. When a fan Monday implored Poles on X to trade for Cowboys star Micah Parsons, Williams hit the ‘‘like’’ button but soon rescinded it.
Instead, Poles tinkered on the margins. Long snapper Patrick Scales made the roster but is expected to be put on injured
reserve Wednesday, a source said. He has a back problem and might return by the end of October. Fullback Khari Blasingame might take Scales’ roster spot after being cut Tuesday, a source confirmed. The Bears will have to find room to fit in their next snapper.
The Bears waived wide receiver Dante Pettis with an injury designation, ending his season, and put offensive tackle Larry Borom (ankle) and defensive lineman Jacob Martin (foot) on injured reserve. They can return after four weeks.
Among the veterans the Bears released were tight end Stephen Carlson, safety Adrian Colbert, offensive tackle Aviante Collins, defensive lineman Byron Cowart, wide receiver Collin Johnson, safety Tarvarius Moore and cornerback Greg Stroman Jr.
The Bears also waived linebacker Micah Baskerville, tight end Brenden Bates, offensive linemen Theo Benedet and Jake Curhan, linebackers Carl Jones Jr. and Paul Moala, defensive backs Leon Jones, Reddy Steward and Ro Torrence, defensive linemen Jamree Kromah and Dashaun Mallory, long snapper Cameron Lyons and punter Corliss Waitman.
The Bears can start building a 16-player practice squad Wednesday, likely with many of the players mentioned above.
Jason Lieser contributed.
The Bears set their 53-man roster at 3 p.m. Tuesday, the league’s deadline for cuts. The roster still figures to change as soon as Wednesday, when the NFL runs the waiver wire.
We’re monitoring the Bears’ moves before roster cuts are due at 3 p.m. Tuesday.