The Chicago Bears made a series of roster moves before their Week 6 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The Bears have had questions about starting positions across the board all week, and most of them have been answered as the team heads into the night before the game.
Chicago Bears moves indicate starting decisions
All reports indicate that Caleb Williams will start in Week 6. He practiced all week, and unless Ben Johnson does something cheeky like he did when he started Case Keenum for one snap over Tyson Bagent, the team is going to lean on Williams.
This is a massive upgrade for a team that still managed to go 2-1 without their star quarterback. However, there were other notable moves.
The Bears also placed Dayo Odeyingbo on the IR. The expectation was for him to miss a couple of weeks, but it was unclear exactly how serious the injury was. Now, he will miss at least four games.
With Montez Sweat being on the suspended list, the team will be without their starting edge rushers against the Falcons. However, the Bears also activated Shemar Turner from the IR this weekend.
So, Turner will likely work in with Austin Booker, James Lynch, Daniel Hardy, and Jamree Kromah in Week 6. It is unclear how much Turner will play.
T.J. Edwards is out, so the team is expected to start D’Marco Jackson next to Devin Bush.
Then, the team made a series of secondary moves, including activating Kyler Gordon. At his full potential, Gordon is one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL. However, reports are that the team will have him on a pitch count.
When he is in the slot, the team will move rookie fourth-round pick Malik Muhammad to the outside. When Gordon is on the sidelines, Muhammad will slide into the slot, and Tyrique Stevenson will likely play on the outside. However, the status of Stevenson is currently questionable.
So, some reports suggest the team will keep Muhammad on the outside, and then platoon Clark Phillips with Gordon. Phillips was acquired before the season but has not played a defensive snap this season.
Cam Lewis was getting work in the slot. However, with Phillips and Gordon working in, he is now going to shift to safety. Meanwhile, they released Xavier Woods. Woods was starting at safety when Lewis was in the slot. So, this now signals Lewis will be full-time at safety.
The only big question is how much, or whether, Ozzy Trapilo starts at left tackle.
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