Who will be the odd men out for the Bears?

They call it "the numbers game," and it has nothing to do with gambling, although there are winners and losers.

In the NFL, "the numbers game" refers to the number of players coaches decide they can keep at each position. If a team decides it can only keep five wide receivers, the guy who is No. 6 on the depth chart is considered a loser in the numbers game.

The game is in full swing this week, with rosters required to be at the 53-man limit by 3 p.m. Saturday. Tonight's preseason finale at Cleveland against the Browns will be the last chance for Bears on the bubble to make their case and avoid becoming a statistic.

"It's always a tough week," said Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, who was cut by the Packers as a rookie. "There's not much discussion about the fact that half your locker room at the start of the off-season isn't going to be there when the first (regular-season) game kicks off. It's just the nature of the business."

Fortunately for Hillenmeyer, the Bears picked him up three days after the Packers waived him, and he's preparing for his sixth season as a Bear and fifth as a full-time starter. Twenty-one of the teammates who take the field with him Thursday night won't be around next week when the Bears begin preparing in earnest for the regular-season opener against the Colts.

The Bears' 53-man roster will include a couple of surprises, as it always does, but this is how it could shape up:

Quarterbacks (2): The Bears almost always keep three, but they might go with just Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman and stash promising rookie Caleb Hanie on the practice squad, hoping no other team claims him for their active roster, which is probably a safe bet.

Running backs (5 or 6): Matt Forte, Kevin Jones, Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe all appear to be roster locks. Jason McKie might be the only fullback who sticks.

Odd men out: RB P.J. Pope and FB Lousaka Polite.

Wide receivers (6): Devin Hester and Rashied Davis are the only locks, but it would be shocking if veterans Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd don't stick, and rookie Earl Bennett is a third-round pick. Underachieving Mark Bradley still has upside, which probably buys him one more year to produce, but he's no lock.

Odd men out: Mike Hass and Brandon Rideau have shown NFL skills in the past, but the numbers seem stacked against them, unless the Bears decide they can do without one of the veterans.

Tight ends (3): No tough decisions here, although Desmond Clark's knee injury could require an additional body besides Greg Olsen and rookie Kellen Davis.

Odd men out: Fontel Mines and Marcus Stone.

Offensive line (8 or 9): Current starters LT John St. Clair, LG Josh Beekman, C Olin Kreutz, RG Roberto Garza and RT John Tait will be joined by first-round pick T Chris Williams, who is rehabbing after back surgery, and Terrence Metcalf, who was starting at LG before a knee scope. With Williams not expected back until after midseason, there's room for another rookie tackle, either seventh-round pick Kirk Barton or undrafted Cody Balogh. A backup guard spot should go to Tyler Reed or Anthony Oakley.

Odd men out: G Ryan Poles. Seventh-round pick Chester Adams could wind up on the practice squad, and so could Barton and/or Balogh, as well as Reed and/or Oakley. Any of them could also be cut.

Defensive line (9): Starters Tommie Harris, Anthony Adams or Dusty Dvoracek, Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye are sure things, along with Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije, who can play end or tackle, and third-round rookie Marcus Harrison. That probably leaves just one spot for injury-prone DE Dan Bazuin, last year's second-round pick; DT Matt Toeaina, who played well at the end of last season; and seventh-round pick Ervin Baldwin.

Odd men out: Two of the last three, plus rookie DEs Joe Clermond and Nick Osborn.

Linebackers (6 or 7): Starters Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher and Hunter Hillenmeyer are for sure along with top backup Jamar Williams. Darrell McClover and Nick Roach should make it on special-teams play alone.

Odd men out: Michael Okwo, a third-round pick last year, is on thin ice, as is seventh-round rookie Joey LaRocque, unless the Bears keep seven.

Defensive backs (9 or 10): CBs Charles Tillman, Nate Vasher and Corey Graham, CB-S Danieal Manning and safeties Mike Brown, Brandon McGowan, Kevin Payne and Craig Steltz are in. CBs Trumaine McBride and fifth-round pick Zackary Bowman aren't sure things, but at least one will make it and maybe both. McBride struggled in camp, but he played better than expected last season as a seventh-round pick.

Odd men out: CB Trey Brown, S Leonard Peters.

Specialists (3): PK Robbie Gould, P Brad Maynard and LS Pat Mannelly.

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