CHGO Digest: Lack of surprises on Bears' 53-man is a good thing

Good morning, friends!

A year that almost has to be special is one step closer to starting. The Bears’ 53-man roster is set — and obviously subject to change. The practice squad is at 14/16 with reported additions in the pipeline.

I asked CHGO Diehards in the exclusive Diehard chat to capture their feelings toward the current roster in one word. A few responses were too crude to share, “depth” was a popular, family-friendly choice, and one said, “Meh.”

But my favorite? “SuperBowl”. I’ll count it.

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— Patrick Norton

Bears’ initial roster lacks surprises

No surprises is a good thing. When speaking with the media on Wednesday, Ryan Poles mentioned regarding the offensive line, “This is the best depth I’ve ever had.” That’s a credit to Poles’ staff’s talent recognition and Matt Eberflus’ staff’s ability to turn just about every lineman we saw in the preseason into a bonafide guardian of the pocket.

Arguably the biggest surprise of cut-down day wasn’t a bubble decision, but how the team opted to list Velus Jones Jr. as a wide receiver. Despite working with the running backs for the past three weeks — and posting 111 yards on the ground in the preseason finale — Jones is listed as the team’s sixth receiver.

• Austin Reed returning to the practice squad is a nice win for fans of the Hard Knocks standout and undrafted rookie from Western Kentucky. Whether it was belting out Keyshia Cole’s Love in front of the team, clutching the walls of the Willis Tower Skydeck, or equating the Patriots, Legion of Boom, and ’85 Bears with the 2024 Preseason Bears, fans fell in love with QB3.
  
• But Reed’s likability to the fan base isn’t what brought him back to the practice squad. Matt Eberflus said of Reed, “We just like the way he operated. Super smart. He performed well in the games. Was great in the quarterback room in terms of supporting and being involved and engaged there. We think he’s got a bright future.”
  
  Reed’s first preseason stat line: 12/16, 1 TD, 0 INT, 123 passing yards.
  
• In addition to the Bears’ 14 practice squad squatters from the preseason roster, the team is also expected to add long snapper Scott Daly, defensive lineman Sam Roberts, and wide receiver Samori Toure. The limit for an NFL practice squad is 16, so if the reports are accurate, the Bears will have to release somebody from the practice squad before making all three moves official.
  

🔎 GO DEEPER | Nicholas Moreano on T.J. Edwards’ and Matt Eberflus’ ​desire to hit the ground running in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans​.

Cermak & Wabash

Join the CHGO crew at our exclusive tailgates at the corner of Cermak & Wabash throughout the season. Food, Miller Lite, and Chicago Bears football. First up: Sunday, September 8 vs. Tennessee. Celebrate the beginning of a new era with us!

Bethancourt, Crow-Armstrong propel Cubs in massive comeback, sweep

Where were you for The Christian Bethancourt Game? Down 10-3 heading into the 7th, the bats came alive once again for the Cubs in Pittsburgh. Bethancourt tallied a career-high seven RBI including six between the seventh and ninth innings.

Pete Crow-Armstrong smacked four singles and scored four times. The Pirates chose to intentionally walk PCA to load the bases with two outs in the ninth. Down one, Bethancourt hit a seeing-eye base hit just beyond the glove of Pirates shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa to give the Cubs an 11-10 lead. Chicago tacked on three more to win, 14-10.

It only took 3.5 months, but the catcher spot is no longer as glaring of an issue in the Cubs’ lineup offensively and defensively.

• Bethancourt, a 32-year-old (turns 33 on Monday) journeyman, started the year with the Miami Marlins. In 38 games with the Marlins, Bethancourt slashed .159/.198/.268. In 11 games with the Cubs, the catcher owns a .407/.448/.889(!!) slash line. Small sample size, sure, but it’s one the Cubs needed.
  
• Bethancourt stole the day, but Miguel Amaya’s red-hot turnaround has been crucial to keeping the Cubs alive in the race for the final NL Wild Card spot. Entering July 7, Amaya was slashing .186/.249/.256 in 190 plate appearances, good enough for a 45 wRC+ (100 is league average). Since July 7, it’s been a completely different story: .358/.402/.589, 177 wRC+, 11.4% K-rate in 105 plate appearances.
  

🔎 GO DEEPER | Ryan Herrera talks to Cubs manager Craig Counsell about ​Pete Crow-Armstrong finding himself at the plate over the last month​.

Roundup: White Sox drop to 72 games below .500

• Darn you, Travis Jankowski. The Rangers’ left fielder entered the game in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement. And in the most typical 2024 White Sox fashion, Jankowski robbed Andrew Vaughn of a walk-off three-run blast four batters later, bringing the ball back in from over the wall. Two batters later, Lenyn Sosa flew out to center, dropping to White Sox to an astounding 31-103.
  
• The second largest gap between first place and last place in a division this season belongs to the NL East where the Marlins trail the Phillies by 30 games. In the AL Central, the White Sox trail the fourth-place Tigers by 37(!!!) games and sit behind the division-leading Guardians by 45 games.
  

The Eighty Five with Cole Kmet

🎧 ​SPOTIFY​ | ​APPLE PODCASTS​ | Rome Odunze is learning from the best as a Chicago Bears rookie

Introducing the ALL Big Ten Podcast

🎧 ​SPOTIFY​ | ​APPLE PODCASTS​ | Can Penn State and James Franklin finally break through to the top of the Big Ten?

Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!

⚽ 8/31: CHGO Fire Takeover vs. Inter Miami — Jason Derulo post-match concert!
⚾ 9/6: CHGO Cubs Takeover for Anthony Rizzo’s return to Wrigley!
🏈 9/8: CHGO Bears Tailgate in Chicago! – Week 1 vs. Titans

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