Keeping safety Skyler Thomas, long snapper Beau Gardner, defensive tackle Jayden Loving and initially tight end Hayden Large for the initial 53-man roster after cuts represented a first for Bears GM Ryan Poles.
Never before had he kept four undrafted rookies after the initial roster cutdown to 53. The most had been three in 2022 with A.J. Thomas, Jack Sanborn and Jaylon Jones. Since then, the only undrafteds to make it as rookies were Jahdae Walker last year and QB Tyson Bagent in 2023.
They did have other undrafted rookies after the initial cutdown by picking up waived players, but never more after their initial roster cutdown.
Is it a sign of progress, or a sign they're going backwards to have more undrafted players? This can be taken two different ways. If undrafted players can make the roster over other players, it can say they're not drafting or signing players who are very good. However, it can also mean the scouting department has simply come up with a few gems..
All 45 UDFAs from the 2026 class who made an NFL initial 53-man roster:ARI: Wydett Williams Jr., S, Ole MissATL: Malcolm DeWalt IV, CB, AkronATL: Jack Strand, QB, Minnesota State MoorheadBAL: Ethan Burke, OLB, TexasBAL: Joe Fagnano, QB, UConnCAR: Aaron Hall, DT, DukeCAR:…— Ryan Paganetti (@RyanPaganetti) August 31, 2026Bears coach Ben Johnson chose to pass out accolades to the scouts.
