The Chicago Bears’ 27-24 overtime win against the Baltimore Ravens wasn’t pretty, and it seems to have taken a toll on a pair of players:
#Bears RB Benny Cunningham (hamstring), G/C Hroniss Grasu (hand), LB Nick Kwiatkoski (chest) and WR Tanner Gentry (hip) were limited in practice.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 18, 2017
Running back Benny Cunningham and wide receiver Tanner Gentry are new additions to this week’s injury report after the team’s Week 6 win against the Ravens. Both players were listed as limited in Wednesday’s practice.
Cunningham injured his hamstring, was listed as doubtful to return, but never did. His hamstring injury led to rookie Tarik Cohen stepping into the lead kick returner role to go along with his responsibilities as the team’s top punt returner, as well as second-string running back. This is Cunningham’s second stint on the injury report, having been listed earlier in the year while dealing with an ankle injury.
If Cunningham is out for a significant amount of time, the Bears could trot out a youth movement in the return game with Cohen and safety Eddie Jackson getting reps fielding kicks.
Gentry is new to the injury report altogether. The timing couldn’t be worse for the undrafted free agent rookie because he is finally getting a chance/extended look. Gentry played on a season high 76 snaps in his first NFL start, but was only targeted with one pass from Mitch Trubisky. For what it’s worth, the Bears added receiver Nelson Spruce to the practice squad in an attempt to add some depth to the position. So if Gentry – or any other receiver – can’t give it a go, there’s still practice squad depth to fall back on.
Seeing center Hroniss Grasu (hand) and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (chest) on the injury report and limited participants is nothing new. Both were listed as questionable for Sunday’s game and are inching their way toward a return to the active roster.