NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears will be without five starters this afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings.
Here is a look at the team’s list of inactive players for Week 4:
Inactives for #MINvsCHI: pic.twitter.com/KQLoxVGk6W
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 29, 2019
Wide receiver Taylor Gabriel was ruled out Friday, while it was reported this morning that defensive lineman Akiem Hicks was expected to miss the game because of a knee injury. But inside linebacker Roquan Smith was a surprisingly late addition to the inactives list, with personal reasons leading to him being out for Sunday’s game against the Vikings. Right guard Kyle Long joins the group of inactives after a hip injury flared up late in the practice week and downgraded his participation and ultimately resulted in him being listed as questionable to play. Oh, and defensive lineman Bilal Nichols was already listed as out because of a hand injury that has now caused him to miss two consecutive weeks.
The Bears will likely troubling tout Ted Larsen to start for Long, Nick Kwiatkoski to fill in for Smith, Anthony Miller to step in for Gabriel, and possibly Nick Williams to take snaps in place of Hicks. This will be a big test for the Bears’ depth, to say the least.
It has been a while since we have written such an expansive injury report. The Bears were truly fortunate not to have too many injury issues last year, but things have really escalated in the last few days leading up to their Week 4 showdown against the Vikings. There is never a “good” time for injuries, but getting bitten by the injury bug before a division rivalry game is not ideal.
