8 Players on Chicago Bears' 2017 Roster Bubble

In a way, the Chicago Bears have already lessened the shock of upcoming cuts this summer.

The Bears have made a habit of trimming the fat over the past couple of years. The past few months alone have seen names such as Jay Cutler, Eddie Royal and Tracy Porter cut, not to mention the loss of players such as Alshon Jeffery in free agency.

Depending on one's vantage point, it's impressive to think the Bears could still make several high-profile moves in the cut arena. So it goes, though, as one of the league's biggest rebuilds continues to run its course.

With general manager Ryan Pace positioning the franchise as one of the league's most active in free agency, his staff is in a position where it will need to make some tough calls at completely revamped spots.

Some of the biggest names have already received the boot, but the following guys sit firmly on the bubble heading into a summer of intense battles.

Ka'Deem Carey

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On paper, Ka'Deem Carey looked like the ideal change-of-pace back for the Bears when the team grabbed him in the fourth round of the 2014 draft.

He's since averaged four yards per carry and scored twice while boasting only 16 targets through the air.

Usage or otherwise, Carey has not met expectations, and the Bears have reinforced the notion with adds like Benny Cunningham in free agency and Tarik Cohen in the draft this year. Both guys have great hands and are explosive from anywhere on the field, making them ideal complements to Jordan Howard.

This has the feel of a situation that could either force the best out of Carey or push him off the roster as the front office continues to search for a quality spell back who can contribute in all facets of the game.

Hroniss Grasu

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Hroniss Grasu is the perfect example of a series of unfortunate events likely pushing him off the roster.

The Bears seemed to peg Grasu as the center of the future when selecting him in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft. Instead, he played in eight games as a rookie and missed all of last year.

While sitting on the shelf, Grasu watched as rookie Cody Whitehair broke out as one of the league's best at the position after a short-notice change brought him over from guard.

And versatility like that is why Grasu has a problem on his hands this summer. The Bears remain stacked on the interior, even touting strong depth names like Eric Kush and perhaps rookie Jordan Morgan.

Grasu will need to show versatility while winning out a direct battle at one of the team's deepest spots to make it through the summer.

Connor Shaw

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Even after being brought back on short notice recently because of an injury to fellow quarterback Mark Sanchez, the proverbial writing has been on the wall for Connor Shaw.

While Shaw is only 25 and worth a developmental look, a broken leg ruined his chances at showing the Bears what he could do last year during a season in which four names took snaps from under center.

The Bears added Mike Glennon and Mitchell Trubisky this offseason, then brought on Sanchez to act as a veteran mentor for the latter after doing the same with the Dallas Cowboys for Dak Prescott.

This leaves Shaw on precarious footing in a league where youth and upside normally mean some form of security for a quarterback. Not Shaw, though, who will have to convince the Bears that what he offers is more valuable than what Sanchez offers Trubisky.

Mitch Unrein

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Like other spots, the Bears made it clear this offseason play needs to improve on the end.

The aim of bringing on a guy like Jaye Howard late in the process is to push a veteran like Mitch Unrein, who still started over then-rookie Jonathan Bullard a year ago yet remained a weak point on the line.

Granted, Howard suffered a hip injury last year and wound up cut by the Kansas City Chiefs, so he's not top-flight competition material some in the fanbase might hope for, but if he pushes Unrein, mission accomplished.

Regardless, Chicago has a bit of depth at one of its weakest spots. Unrein could be on his way out if Bullard is ready to go and Howard proves more productive or versatile.

Josh Bellamy

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Josh Bellamy is one of those players for whom it seems the pendulum could swing in either direction.

The Bears went to great lengths to upgrade the depth chart at wideout this offseason, adding Markus Wheaton, Kendall Wright, Rueben Randle and Victor Cruz, names who won't push Cameron Meredith for the top slot but could push the best out of someone such as Kevin White.

The situation leaves Bellamy in something of a purgatory. He only has 506 yards and three scores over his two seasons with the Bears, but he's done so on all of 38 targets.

Where Bellamy adds value to the roster is on special teams, which isn't something many on the chart can say. Normally it makes someone of his status an end-of-roster lock, but that isn't the case here with so many new names entering the fray.

For Bellamy, this summer is about flashing in the base offense as much as it is proving his versatility.

Lamarr Houston

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The Bears are in quite the interesting spot with Lamarr Houston.

At face value, his $35 million deal over five years looks like a gigantic dud. But the team can't help he's suffered a torn ACL in each knee over the past three years, and right in the middle of the issues was an eight-sack campaign.

Still, the roster has continued to move on without Houston thanks to names like Pernell McPhee, Leonard Floyd and Willie Young.

It's impossible to predict which way Chicago will go here. There's no such thing as having too many guys effective at getting after quarterbacks. And the deeper a team is in that area, the better. The Bears aren't hurting for money, either—but keeping Houston could knock a high-upside player off the roster elsewhere.

Houston has the power to influence the decision via his play, which is something a 30-year-old with two recent significant injuries doesn't get to do often.

Zach Miller

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Like a few other positions mentioned in this article, tight end received a major makeover this offseason.

With Zach Miller unreliable thanks to injuries, the team brought on Dion Sims in free agency and also made a point to draft Adam Shaheen in the second round.

While it's not unheard of for a team to keep three capable tight ends and have a quality rotation, keeping Miller would knock a prospect like Daniel Brown off the roster.

Miller can be quite the potent weapon when healthy. Despite injuries, he's scored nine times over the past two years for the Bears, but it's the seven missed games over the same time frame and his age, 32, that force the front office's hand this offseason.

With Shaheen being a capable target through the air and Sims offering both inline blocking and budding skills as a receiver, Miller has quite the battle on his hands over the summer, provided he can recover fast enough from a foot issue.

Kyle Fuller

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Three years ago, it seemed easier to think the Bears would be entering contract extension talks with Kyle Fuller as opposed to his sitting on the roster bubble.

Alas, Fuller hasn't had the easiest go of it since coming off the board at No. 14 back in 2014. When he flashes, he's easily the best corner on the roster—even after this offseason's additions.

But a lack of consistency and his missing all of last year is why the Bears not only turned down his fifth-year option recently but added a pair of new starting boundary corners in free agency in Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio isn't going to ignore Fuller and not give him a chance. He's still only 25 and, again, the flashes. He might trot him out at safety as a final chance.

But there are only so many roster spots to go around, and the two aforementioned names, plus inside guys like Cre'von LeBlanc, aren't going anywhere. Keep in mind there are two potential new starters at safety as well thanks to the arrivals of veteran Quintin Demps and rookie Eddie Jackson.

It's now-or-never time for Fuller, who is the biggest name on the bubble for the Bears this year. Expectations, past performance and the importance of the spot put him directly in the spotlight for the duration of the summer.

All contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise specified. Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.