It might be quite some time before the Bears carry five tight ends on their 53-man roster again, a cutdown weekend oddity that lasted 24 hours.

It's a good reminder of what general manager Ryan Pace said at the start of training camp, that the position is one of the strengths on the roster. It's also a hint of things to come from offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains in terms of formations and play-calling.

The Bears have a quality in-line blocker in Dion Sims, and Zach Miller figures to be just about as important to the passing game as any wide receiver. There has been appropriate hand-wringing over the team's wide receivers, one of the weakest groups in the NFL, but if the Bears are going to be competitive it will be because they run the ball better than they did a year ago when they ranked 17th, averaging 108.4 yards per game.

They got back down to four tight ends when Ben Braunecker was one of three players waived Sunday along with running back Jeremy Langford and long snapper Jeff Overbaugh to make room for wide receiver Tre McBride, running back Taquan Mizzell and long snapper Andrew DePaola.

If Braunecker clears waivers, he's a good bet to be re-signed to the practice squad as he has been a four-phase contributor and was sixth on the roster in special teams snaps as a rookie last season. He could certainly re-emerge on the 53-man roster at some point this year.

The remaining tight ends are Daniel Brown and second-round pick Adam Shaheen. Brown remains good insurance for Miller, the playmaking 32-year-old with an unfortunate injury history. Brown has also improved on special teams. Shaheen didn't stand out much in the preseason but will surely be worked in.

Reinforcing the idea the Bears will have a run-first approach is the fact they kept fullback Michael Burton. He played in all four exhibition games but logged just 21 snaps, so you wonder if Loggains is waiting to unveil a package the offense will rely on more frequently during the season. The team just didn't find enough opportunities for a fullback when it carried Paul Lasike on the roster last year.

Lasike logged only 76 snaps in 10 games he was on the active roster and Burton will need more action to justify a roster spot. The Bears had two or more tight ends on the field 28 percent of the time last season, ranking 14th in the league, according to Football Outsiders. This roster composition leads you to believe that figure will climb.

Photos of Bears tight end Adam Shaheen.

The Bears were going to be hard-pressed to replace injured Cameron Meredith on cutdown weekend, let alone acquire a new No. 1 wide receiver. Armchair GMs were furious that undrafted rookie free agent Tanner Gentry was waived, but he went unclaimed by the other 31 teams and returned, signed to the practice squad.

It will be interesting to see how McBride fits in. A seventh-round pick from Williams & Mary in 2015, he was one of the better special teams players for the Titans with skill to be a gunner and serviceable kickoff returner. One scout said he has good speed but isn't a vertical threat and is a possession receiver who runs crisp routes with decent hands but called him prone to focus drops. Another scout highlighted his special teams ability and said he's the kind of receiver that can go from a highlight catch to a flat drop, which sounds a little like Josh Bellamy.

Mizzell is an interesting addition and could prove more dynamic than Langford, the fourth-round pick in 2015. An undrafted rookie free agent from Virginia, Mizzel's 195 career receptions are the second-most by a running back in ACC history. He led the Ravens in rushing and receiving in the preseason.

With starter Jordan Howard, exciting fourth-round pick Tarik Cohen and a stable veteran backup in Benny Cunningham, the Bears have depth and youth at running back, including the 25-year-old Burton.

Nineteen of the 53 players are new to the organization this year. When the season kicks off Sunday, the average age of the roster will be 26.21 years, a tick above last September's 26.04.

There are already eight players on injured reserve, and that's concerning when health was a contributing factor to a 13-loss season a year ago. When you talk about running the ball, you can't forget left guard Kyle Long did not participate in the preseason and hasn't practiced in three weeks. Maybe he'll be back in action Monday when the team practices at Halas Hall.

The Bears have made it clear with the strengths — and weaknesses — of the roster that, as Lovie Smith used to say, they're going to get off the bus running.

bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs