Mike Moraitis· Aug 7, 2026
Moraitis says Coby Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are locks to make the Bears' 53-man roster, and that newly signed safety Xavier Woods has a chance to stick given Chicago's secondary injuries.
“Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are all locks to make the roster”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
4 checkable claims — 4 roster spot calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
3 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 66.7 for a naive guess at the same calls.
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Who this take is about
4 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Roster Spot CallsCam LewisChicago BearsAug 7, 2026
Cam Lewis to make the roster
“Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are all locks to make the roster”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- CHI
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- b27b3344-d8a1-4da9-8522-c400b209169d
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsElijah HicksChicago BearsAug 7, 2026
Elijah Hicks to make the roster
“Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are all locks to make the roster”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- CHI
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 604cee5f-c3f7-45ef-b74d-8afef9fc8c2c
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Dillon Thieneman to make the roster
“Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are all locks to make the roster”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 0+200 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- CHI
- skill:
- 200
- player:
- 7b917409-88db-4be3-97fb-179ecb9179b7
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsCoby BryantChicago BearsAug 7, 2026
Coby Bryant to make the roster
“Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are all locks to make the roster”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Pete MartuneacDepth Chart Calls · Ozzy TrapiloMiss · 0After Trapilo's activation from the PUP list roughly seven months after rupturing his patellar tendon, Martuneac says the Bears' left tackle competition is over and Trapilo will be starting at left tackle early in the 2026 season, even if not by Week 1.
- Eric CohenGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsHit · 100Cohen says the Bears win easily in Carolina, and that Tennessee starts 1-0 over a Jets team he considers the third-worst in the league.
- Gene ChamberlainScore Predictions · Chicago BearsClose · 57Chamberlain picks the Bears to beat the Panthers in Week 1 at Charlotte, 34-30, giving Chicago the edge in the run game, passing game, pass defense and coaching.
- Danny ParkinsGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsHit · 100Parkins picked the Giants to upset Dallas, the Steelers to beat Atlanta by two scores, the Bears to beat Carolina, the Bills to beat Houston and Denver to beat Kansas City outright; he also said Justin Herbert will win an MVP and had the Bengals as AFC North champs.
- Kirk HerbstreitGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsHit · 100Herbstreit made a full slate of Week 1 picks — Lions, Ravens, Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Packers and Cowboys — and also said he still thinks Seattle is the team to beat in the NFC West.
- Jonas KnoxGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsHit · 100Knox picked the Steelers at home over the Falcons, his Bears over the Panthers, the Bengals over the Buccaneers, the Texans money line over the Bills, and the Cowboys over the Giants.
More roster spot calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- John ShipleyRoster Spot Calls · Jack KiserMiss · 0Shipley projects a full 16-player (plus one international/exemption spot) Jaguars practice squad for 2026, naming specific players at each position he expects to land there.
- Cody RourkeRoster Spot Calls · Mitchell FraboniMiss · 0Rourke names the Ravens as the bounce-back team most likely to be dangerous in the AFC again, and says Houston's defense alone should carry the Texans into the postseason. He also expects long snapper Mitchell Fraboni to be one of Denver's practice-squad elevations for the Chiefs game, and slots Pat Bryant as Denver's third receiver behind Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle.
- Sayre BedingerRoster Spot Calls · Adam PrenticeMiss · 0Benninger expects Houston's elite defense to make them either a division winner or a wild card team, thinks Marvin Mims was trending toward being Denver's fourth receiver rather than just the return man, and figures Adam Prentice will be the Broncos' other practice-squad call-up.
- Bob MorrisRoster Spot Calls · Adam PrenticeHit · 100Morris predicts Jarrett Stidham holds the backup QB job behind Bo Nix, Adam Prentice makes the 53-man roster as the fullback/fourth back, and Lucas Krull gets cut.
- Erick TrickelRoster Spot Calls · Adam PrenticeHit · 100After the Broncos' preseason opener, Trickel argued fullback Adam Prentice has shown enough value to earn a spot on the 53-man roster ahead of the team's fourth running back options (Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, Cody Schrader).
- Nick ShookRoster Spot Calls · Aaron DonaldHit · 100Shook unveiled his first NFL power rankings of the year, putting the Rams first, the Broncos second and the defending champion Seahawks only third, with the Dolphins last.