Mike MoraitisAug 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.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Mike Moraitis said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromBryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are all locks to make the roster
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- Chicago Bears Sign Veteran DB, Place Another on Injured Reserve
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidAug 7
- GradedSep 25
- 1Elijah Hicks to make the roster“Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are all locks to make the roster”
- 2Dillon Thieneman to make the roster“Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are all locks to make the roster”
- 3Cam Lewis to make the roster“Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are all locks to make the roster”
- 4Coby Bryant to make the roster“Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are all locks to make the roster”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah Hicks to make the roster1 | Roster Spot Calls | 3 weeks on a 53 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Dillon Thieneman to make the roster2 | Roster Spot Calls | 3 weeks on a 53 | 100 | 0 | +200 | |
| Cam Lewis to make the roster3 | Roster Spot Calls | 3 weeks on a 53 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Coby Bryant to make the roster4 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 calls · 3 hits · 1 waiting | 100 | 66.7 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive4 checkable claims — 4 roster spot calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
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.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
1Roster Spot CallsElijah HicksChicago Bears
Elijah Hicks to make the roster
What happened3 weeks on a 53100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- CHI
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Elijah Hicks
- 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:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
2Roster Spot CallsDillon ThienemanChicago Bears
Dillon Thieneman to make the roster
What happened3 weeks on a 53100Hit · naive 0100this call−0a naive guess=100better than naive×2difficulty=+200skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- CHI
- skill:
- 200
- player:
- Dillon Thieneman
- 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:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
3Roster Spot CallsCam LewisChicago Bears
Cam Lewis to make the roster
What happened3 weeks on a 53100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- CHI
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Cam Lewis
- 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:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
4Roster Spot CallsCoby BryantChicago Bears
Coby Bryant to make the roster
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 3 settled calls, each counted once
100naive 66.7
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
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More roster spot calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
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Williams writes that after releasing Odell Beckham Jr. to open a roster spot for Kirk Cousins, the Vikings will bring them back on the practice squad.Christian Booher · Roster Spot Calls · Anthony Lucas · Miss 0
Booher previews the Lions' Week 9 trip to Miami, predicting Derrick Barnes takes over as the green-dot linebacker in Jack Campbell's absence, Juice Scruggs starts at center, and boldly forecasting Detroit's first defensive touchdown of the season on an Aidan Hutchinson strip-sack recovered and returned by Barnes.Randy Gurzi · Roster Spot Calls · Jordan Hudson · Miss 0
Gurzi predicts the Cowboys' 17-man practice squad, naming each player they expect Dallas to sign, including a surprise addition of released Giants tackle Evan Neal. They also predict Jaydon Blue will be claimed off waivers by another team and that Sam Williams will land elsewhere.