6 Bears on the Roster Bubble Heading Into Preseason Finale

5. Tommy Sweeney, Tight End

Chicago hired Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator this offseason which is a good move. Waldron spent three years in that same role with the Seattle Seahawks and spent several years under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams.

One of his roles during that time was serving as the tight ends coach. He also did this for the New England Patriots and UMass. His ability to work with tight ends is one of the reasons Gerald Everett signed with the Bears this offseason, Everett has now worked with Waldron in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Chicago.

While Everett knows Waldron well, and vice versa, Cole Kmet remains the starter. As he should.

Kmet has become 7ne of the top pass-catching tight ends, hauling in 73 receptions for 719 yards and six touchdowns last season. Everett spent the past couple of years with the Los Angeles Chargers and has recorded at least 400 yards in each season since 2019. He has the TE2 spot secured.

From there, veteran Marcedes Lewis is the blocking tight end. At 40 years old, Lewis is still going strong. He won't offer much as a receiver but he's essentially a sixth offensive lineman.

Chicago might just stick with those three but if they wanted a fourth tight end, Tommy Sweeney and Stephen Carlson will be fighting for that spot. Sweeney has more experience in the NFL, recording 18 receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown. Carlson, however, is more familiar with Chicago.

While he has just six career receptions (all with the Cleveland Browns), Carlson spent 2023 with the the Bears and appeared in one game. He's typically done well in the preseason and had one catch for nine yards on Saturday compared to one catch for negative-one yards for Sweeney. It could be a coin flip but Sweeney is on the bubble.