Breaking down Chicago Bears' bubble players

The Cleveland Browns were the Bears' opponent for the final preseason game. It was incorrect in an earlier version of this story..

One of coach John Fox's mantras since the start of training camp has been that he and his staff do not pick the final 53-man roster - players do that, by their performance.

Thursday night's final preseason game against the Cleveland Browns is the last chance for players on the bubble to make a favorable impression. This year's preseason-ending exhibition carries more weight than in most years, since the roster is full of players who still aren't that familiar to the new coaching staff.

"Being a new staff, being totally honest, we're evaluating everybody," Fox said. "It's only going to be our fourth time Thursday night seeing these guys play in our system. We're still going to be learning when we get to the regular season.

"We haven't picked a starting lineup yet. We're looking at a lot of different guys."

By 3 p.m. Saturday, the looking will be over and a 75-man roster must be trimmed to 53. By noon the following day, 10-man practice squads can begin to be compiled.

At almost every position, the Bears have players whose fates may be decided Thursday night.

(The number of players on last year's opening day roster at each position is in parentheses.)

Quarterback (3)

Starter: Jay Cutler

Backup: Jimmy Clausen

Fighting for a spot: David Fales and Zac Dysert

Fales spent most of 2014 on the Bears' practice squad after being drafted in the sixth round by the former regime. He missed all but the final day of training camp with an unspecified illness. Dysert, a 43-game starter at Miami (Ohio) was claimed off waivers Tuesday after spending two seasons with Fox's Denver Broncos teams not playing a snap. Both are eligible for the practice squad.

Fales, who has thrown just 3 preseason passes, should see an abundance of playing time against Cincy with Cutler not expected to make more than a cameo and Clausen out with a concussion.

Running back (5, including fullback Tony Fiammetta)

Starter: Matt Forte

Backups: Jeremy Langford and Jacquizz Rodgers

Fighting for a spot: Ka'Deem Carey

Senorise Perry, a valuable special teams performer, leads Bears runners with a 6.4-yard average per carry in the preseason, but he was placed on injured reserve, so Carey's chances improve. But last year's fourth-round pick could use an impressive final performance to guarantee a spot.

Wide receiver (5)

Starters: Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal

Backup: Marquess Wilson

Fighting for a spot: Josh Bellamy, Rashad Lawrence, Cam Meredith, Marc Mariani, AJ Cruz, Ify Umodu.

Because the top three are all injured, the Bears may need to open the season with more than five. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound Meredith has the best size, but Bellamy (6-foot, 208 pounds) and Lawrence (6-1, 197) have more experience. This battle might be the most interesting to watch. Mariani could stick because he's the best return specialist.

Tight end (3)

Starter: Martellus Bennett. Backups: Khari Lee

Fighting for a spot: Bear Pascoe, Dante Rosario and Zach Miller

The Bears traded a sixth-round pick in 2017 for Lee on Wednesday, and Pascoe was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the new regime, so they have an edge. Pascoe is the best blocker of all the backups, while Rosario is the most versatile and has value as a special-teams player. Miller is the most gifted receiver but has a lengthy injury history.

Offensive line (8)

Starters: LT Jermon Bushrod, LG Matt Slauson, C Will Montgomery, RG Kyle Long, RT Jordan Mills

Backups: C Hroniss Grasu, T Tayo Fabuluje

Fighting for a spot: T Charles Leno, G Vlad Ducasse, T-G Michael Ola, G Connor Boffeli, G Tyler Moore

Grasu (third round) and Fabuluje (sixth) are draft picks of the new regime. The veteran Ducasse becomes more valuable if Long is moved to right tackle and, with Bushrod's back injury a concern, Leno could be insurance, even though he failed a preseason tryout at right tackle. Ola was a jack of all trades last season but doesn't seem to have impressed the new staff.

Defensive line (10)

Starters: LE Ego Ferguson, NT Jeremiah Ratliff, RE Jarvis Jenkins

Backups: NT Eddie Goldman, DL Will Sutton

Fighting for a spot: E Brandon Dunn, E Cornelius Washington, DT Terry Williams

Having converted to a 3-4, not as many linemen are needed this year, but Ratliff's three-game suspension to start the season will create a need for an additional nose tackle, which bodes well for Williams.

Linebackers (6)

Starters: OLB Pernell McPhee, ILB Christian Jones, ILB Shea McClellin, OLB Jared Allen

Backups: OLB Sam Acho, OLB Lamarr Houston, ILB Mason Foster

Fighting for a spot: OLB Willie Young, ILB Jon Bostic, OLB David Bass, ILB John Timu, ILB Jonathan Anderson, ILB Matthew Wells, OLB Kyle Woestmann

There has been speculation that Young could be a salary-cap casualty because he's not fully recovered from off-season Achilles surgery, but he's also coming off a 10-sack career year. Bostic has not been healthy long enough to make a name for himself with the new staff. Even when healthy, he's done little to impress.

Cornerbacks (6)

Starters: Kyle Fuller, Alan Ball

Backups: Sherrick McManis, Terrance Mitchell, Tracy Porter

Fighting for a spot: Bryce Callahan, Qumain Black, Jacoby Glenn

Because of Porter's continuing injury history, he could be expendable.

Safeties (4)

Starters: Antrel Rolle, Adrian Amos

Backups: Brock Vereen, Demontre Hurst

Fighting for a spot: Sherrod Martin, Anthony Jefferson

No one in this group has stood out, but someone has to start and, with Ryan Mundy on season-ending injured reserve, another backup spot is open.

• Follow Bob's Bears and NFL reports on Twitter@BobLeGere.