Bears Finalize 53-Man Roster

The Bears trimmed their roster to the final 53 players over the weekend. There were few big surprises, although some may have questioned keeping both Kahlil Bell and Garrett Wolfe at running back while cutting special teams specialist Tim Shaw, who set the franchise record last season with 30 special teams tackles. Shaw was promptly signed by the Tenessee Titans. Among the other more disappointing cuts were the Bears two highest picks from the 2009 draft - defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert and wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias - veteran guard Josh Beekman, and safety Al Afalava, who started 13 games in '09 as a rookie. But none were a huge surprise.

Perhaps the loss that stings the most, other than Shaw, is that of rookie quarterback Dan LeFevour. After signing 38-year old veteran Todd Collins following Caleb Hanie's preseason injury, the Bears didn't need a fourth QB on the regular roster, but had hoped to sign the rookie out of Central Michigan to the team's eight-man practice squad on Sunday. Instead, the Cincinnati Bengals signed LeFevour as their third QB. Iglesias did end up on the Bears practice squad while Gilbert chose to join the Jets' practice squad instead of Chicago's.

With their 53-man roster in place, the Bears hit the practice field this week in preparation for Week One when they'll host the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. We'll have a full Bears season preview later this week.