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Chicago Bears' roster cuts don't mean shuffling is over

When the Bears finally made public the cuts that left them at the 53-man limit Saturday, there were some mild surprises.

The biggest name among the 22 players the Bears shed from their roster was inside linebacker Mason Foster, who was signed as an unrestricted free agent after starting 34 games in a four-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Foster had 4 tackles including 1 sack and 1 other tackle for loss Thursday night in the preseason finale, but he did not present a challenge to starters Shea McClellin and Christian Jones in the opinions of coaches.

Instead, the Bears kept rookie John Timu, who was undrafted out of Washington, where he was a three-time team captain. The 6-foot, 247-pound Timu made plays in every preseason game, including an interception and a sack.

"I left it all on the field," Timu said when he was asked about his chances of making the roster after he was credited with 3 tackles in the final preseason game. "That's all I can say. I don't have any idea."

Although it wasn't a shock, offensive lineman Michael Ola was cut after starting 12 games last year at four different positions. Even with the right-tackle spot up for grabs, as Jordan Mills and Charles Leno struggled to determine which was the lesser of two evils, Ola didn't get a shot there.

The 6-foot-4, 312-pound Ola played for former Bears coach Marc Trestman with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 2012, and he was signed by the Bears in the spring before the 2014 season after he was cut by the Miami Dolphins.

Nose tackle Terry Williams was waived as well, but he is a candidate for the 10-man practice squad, which can be formed starting at noon Sunday. The 6-foot, 329-pound undrafted rookie out of East Carolina was impressive in extended play in Thursday's preseason final with 4 unassisted tackles.

With starting nose tackle Jeremiah Ratliff suspended for the first three games of the season following a DUI conviction, and second-round pick Eddie Goldman recovering from a concussion, Williams might be needed.

The Bears also could add waived quarterback Zac Dysert to their practice squad. Dysert probably is more valuable to the Bears than any other team, since he spent the past two seasons in Adam Gase's offense in Denver. He was cut by the Broncos last week and claimed by the Bears.

It wasn't surprising that the Bears parted ways with veteran tight ends Dante Rosario and Bear Pascoe. Last week they traded a 2017 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans for tight end Khari Lee.

One of the goals general manager Ryan Pace and coach John Fox have is a younger roster. Pascoe is 29 and Rosario 30, while Lee is an undrafted rookie.

Undrafted rookie wide receiver Ify Umodu led the Bears with 2 preseason touchdowns, including Thursday's 11-yard reception and a return of a blocked punt. But the 6-3, 215-pound Northern Arizona product did not make the final 53, although he's also a candidate for the practice squad.

That left Josh Bellamy, Marc Mariani and Cam Meredith as the backups to Alshon Jeffery (calf), Eddie Royal (hip) and Marquess Wilson (hamstring), all of whom have missed practice for more than a week with injuries.

Mariani, the top kick returner on the roster, had 3 catches for 32 yards, including a 19-yard TD in the last preseason game.

"In the return game is where I've always made my money and (it's) kept me around this league for a while," said Mariani, a six-year veteran. "But I had a lot to prove, and I wanted to show people that I can play offense as well.

"This was a great opportunity for me the last few weeks, getting in there with a couple of the other guys banged up."

The current 53-man roster isn't exactly final, especially for the Bears, who are expected in the next couple of days to claim players cut by other teams, almost certainly another defensive lineman.

Bears final cuts

QB Zac Dysert

ILB Mason Foster

ILB Jonathan Anderson

ILB Matthew Wells

TE Dante Rosario

TE Bear Pascoe

TE Gannon Sinclair

WR Rashad Lawrence

WR AJ Cruz (waived/injured, ankle)

WR Ify Umodu

OG Conor Boffeli

OL Michael Ola

OG Tyler Moore

CB Qumain Black

CB Jacoby Glenn

OLB David Bass

OLB Kyle Woestmann

S Anthony Jefferson (injured reserve, arm)

DE Brandon Dunn

DE David Carter

NT Terry Williams

NT Jeremiah Ratliff (reserve/suspended by commissioner)

Bears 53-man roster

Quarterback (3) Jay Cutler, Jimmy Clausen, David Fales.

Running back (4) Matt Forte, Jeremy Langford, Jacquizz Rodgers, Ka'Deem Carey.

Wide receiver (6) Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal, Marquess Wilson, Josh Bellamy, Cam Meredith, Marc Mariani.

Tight end (3) Martellus Bennett, Khari Lee, Zach Miller.

Offensive line (9) LT Jermon Bushrod, LG Matt Slauson, C Will Montgomery, RG Kyle Long, RT Jordan Mills, C Hroniss Grasu, T Tayo Fabuluje, T Charles Leno, G Vlad Ducasse.

Defensive line (5) E Ego Ferguson, E Jarvis Jenkins, NT Eddie Goldman, DL Will Sutton, E Cornelius Washington.

Linebacker (9) OLB Pernell McPhee, ILB Christian Jones, ILB Shea McClellin, OLB Jared Allen, OLB Sam Acho, OLB Lamarr Houston, OLB Willie Young, ILB Jon Bostic, ILB John Timu.

Cornerback (6) Kyle Fuller, Alan Ball, Sherrick McManis, Terrance Mitchell, Tracy Porter, Bryce Callahan.

Safety (5) Antrel Rolle, Adrian Amos, Brock Vereen, Demontre Hurst, Sherrod Martin.

Specialists (3) PK Robbie Gould, P Patrick O'Donnell, LS Thomas Gafford.

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

  Bears head coach John Fox and his staff got the roster down to the 53-man limit with Saturday's final cuts. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
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