Bears Make Cuts, Set 53-Man Roster

By Chris Emma--

(CBS) The Bears' roster is set for the season with 53 men, after a few surprise cuts.

Defensive lineman Ego Ferguson, receiver Marc Mariani and running back Jacquizz Rodgers were among the unexpected cuts from Saturday's roster trimming. Ferguson was a second-round pick for Phil Emery in 2014. Mariani had become a sure-handed slot target for Jay Cutler, and Rodgers seemed to have a grasp on the backup job at running back during parts of the preseason.

Additionally, the Bears finalized their 53-man roster with outside linebacker Pernell McPhee remaining on the physically-unable-to-perform list, meaning he will miss at least the first six weeks of the season. Receiver Marquess Wilson also remains on the PUP list with a broken foot.

The Bears made cuts at tight end to veterans Tony Moeaki, Rob Housler and Ben Braunecker, which leaves Khari Lee and Greg Scruggs for depth at the position. Scruggs is a former defensive lineman who has converted over to offense.

By waiving David Fales, the Bears elected to go with two quarterbacks on the active roster. Fales will likely land on the practice squad if he is not claimed to another team's active roster.

Aaron Brewer, a five-year NFL veteran, was selected over Patrick Scales as the team's long snapper in one of the more contested position battles.

Of course, nothing is ever set in stone. The Bears have 23 offensive players on the roster, a notable imbalance to the 27 defensive player. Consider that a hint to their plans for Sunday. Then came a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter that said former Packers three-time Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton, released on Saturday, is visiting with the Bears.

Sitton could bring an instant upgrade to the Bears' struggling offensive line. He is available to the rest of the league, too, so it's up to the Bears to finish their pitch right if they want him in Chicago. For now, their roster is set.

Here are the Bears of each position to the 53-man roster:

QB: Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer

RB: Jeremy Langford, Ka'Deem Carey, Jordan Howard

FB: Paul Lasike

WR: Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White, Eddie Royal, Josh Bellamy, Cameron Meredith, Deonte Thompson

TE: Zach Miller, Khari Lee, Greg Scruggs

OL: Charles Leno, Cody Whitehair, Ted Larsen, Kyle Long, Bobby Massie, Mike Adams, Cornelius Edison, Amini Silatolu

DL: Eddie Goldman, Akiem Hicks, Mitch Unrein, Will Sutton, Cornelius Washington, Jonathan Bullard

OLB: Lamarr Houston, Willie Young, Leonard Floyd, Sam Acho, Christian Jones

ILB: Danny Trevathan, Jerrell Freeman, Nick Kwiatkoski, Jonathan Anderson

CB: Kyle Fuller, Tracy Porter, Bryce Callahan, Jacoby Glenn, Deiondre' Hall, Demontre Hurst, Sherrick McManis

S: Adrian Amos, Harold Jones-Quartey, Chris Prosinski, Deon Bush, DeAndre Houston-Carson

K: Robbie Gould

P: Pat O'Donnell

LS: Aaron Brewer

Here are the Bears' cuts from Saturday:

Waived: CB De'Vante Bausby, TE Ben Braunecker, WR Daniel Braverman, CB Taveze Calhoun, WR B.J. Daniels, QB David Fales, C Khaled Holmes, CB Kevin Peterson, LS Patrick Scales, ILB John Timu, OL Jason Waver, NT Terry Williams.

Waived with injury settlements: DE Ego Ferguson, OLB Danny Mason

Vested veterans terminated: TE Rob Housler, WR Marc Mariani, TE Tony Moeaki, RB Jacquizz Rodgers, G Shelley Smith, T Garry Williams

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.