UPDATE: During his Thursday press conference, Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy confirmed nose tackle John Jenkins is going on injured reserve because of a thumb injury.
The rest of our original post is as follows.
Bears nose tackle John Jenkins appeared on Wednesday’s injury report with a “did not practice” designation because of a thumb injury. Shortly after that, we learned Chicago reportedly poached Steelers defensive lineman Daniel McCullers from their practice squad. That certainly felt related based on (1) Jenkins’ injury status and (2) the Bears’ need for defensive line depth.
And now, the series of events makes even more sense:
#Bears veteran DT John Jenkins suffered a ligament tear in his thumb in Sunday’s game and played through it, source said. He’s now out several games & may be placed on IR. Meanwhile, Chicago signed DT Daniel McCullers off the #Steelers practice squad, as @DraftDiamonds reported.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 24, 2020
Jenkins is out for several games, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. Hence, the Bears added McCullers to fill that void. Got it.
Rapoport is clear that the injury will keep him out for “several games” and not be a season-ender. And with players having the ability to return from IR after three weeks, this all lines up for McCullers being a fill in rotational defensive lineman at a position of need. With that being said, it’s possible that a stint on injured reserve is the corresponding move that clears a roster space for McCullers.
Stay tuned.