6 Bears Who Could Be Cut Prior to Training Camp

4. Stephen Carlson, tight end

The Chicago Bears not only have a plethora of wide receivers for young Caleb Williams to spread the ball to, but they have a quality, complementary tight end room to go along with it.

Obviously, you have to start with Cole Kmet, the TE1 for the Bears who has been an ascending player since he came into the league out of Notre Dame as a former second-round pick. Kmet now has three straight seasons with 50 receptions or more and is coming off his best year yet with 73 receptions for 719 yards and six touchdowns. He's got 13 total touchdown catches over the last two seasons and is probably forgotten about a little too much thanks to the Bears' additions at the receiver position.

This year, the Bears paired up Kmet with veteran Gerald Everett, a player who has seemingly reached the proverbial "ceiling" of what he is as an NFL tight end, but someone who can also really help the offense take another step forward as a secondary target in the passing game.

The move that really has a player like Stephen Carlson in trouble, however, is the Bears' recent addition of veteran Marcedes Lewis, one of the oldest players in the NFL and also one of the best-blocking tight ends in the league. Chicago's recent decision to sign Lewis has likely cemented their top three at the tight end position for the season and leaves little room for Carlson.

Not only do the Bears have Lewis now in the mix, but they've also got Tommy Sweeney who has played some snaps in the league, and intriguing rookie free agent Branden Bates.