Over the next 12-24 hours, the Chicago Bears will cut their roster down from 90 to 53 players. After they finalize their roster for Week 1, the Bears will turn their attention to the practice squad.
On Monday, the Bears reportedly waived preseason standout tight end Joel Wilson, who they hope goes unclaimed so they can re-sign him to the practice squad. Speaking of Wilson, he wasn’t the only player let go by Chicago.
The Bears have reportedly done their first wave of cuts, which includes a quarterback who could return to the taxi squad, solidifying the roster spot of veteran signal-caller Case Keenum.
Bears roster moves pic.twitter.com/hNJwLfR6SQ
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) August 25, 2025
Bears Part Ways with QB Austin Reed Following Preseason Finale
According to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, Chicago waived eight players from the 90-man roster, including second-year quarterback Austin Reed. Reed was likely the odd man out with the addition of Keenum in the offseason.
Reed joined the Bears as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft last year. He performed well in the limited opportunities last preseason, completing 12-of-16 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown (three games).
However, Chicago decided that it didn’t want to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster last year and cut him ahead of the roster cutdown deadline. The Bears quickly signed Reed to the practice squad, giving them a developmental quarterback.
After the 2024 regular season ended, the former Western Kentucky quarterback was signed to a futures contract in January, providing him another opportunity to make the team.
Fast forward to this summer, and the odds were stacked against Reed to get on the team. The Bears brought in Keenum, who will give Chicago a veteran presence in the quarterback room.
Also, the Bears signed Tyson Bagent to a two-year extension, further solidifying his spot on the team. Despite those two factors, Reed still went out and did what was asked of him when given the chance to play.
The 6-foot-1 quarterback completed 11-of-17 passes for 107 yards. Since Reed was put on waivers, the Bears will likely have the chance to re-sign him to the taxi squad. As for Keenum, his job is safe even though he only played in one preseason game.