The Friday Chicago Bears injury update is often the most telling. And while we already knew quarterback Justin Fields was going to be out again (leading to another Tyson Bagent start), there are other notable updates we’ve been monitoring.
Here is the latest on the injury front from the Bears:
Bears RT Darnell Wright trending in the right direction
Another mixed bag of injury news. Let’s discuss:
- We’ll lead off with the good news. Right tackle Darnell Wright’s status is swinging in a positive direction. After not practicing on Wednesday due to shoulder and toe issues, Wright was practicing in a limited capacity on Thursday before being a full-go on Friday. Wright doesn’t even have a game day designation next to his name on the injury report. That means he is good to go.
- The same can be said about running back Roschon Johnson, who left concussion protocol this week and strung together three practices with full participation. Getting Johnson back in the mix is a wonderful development on multiple fronts. Yes, it will be good to have Roschon rumbling out of the backfield. But let’s not overlook his contributions in the passing game. Johnson is arguably the team’s best pass-catcher out of the backfield and is skilled when it comes to picking up blitzes. With Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack lurking, the Bears could use all the protection they can get.
- I’m not sure what to make of Braxton Jones having no game-day designation for Sunday. Jones is just days into his first practices after the Bears opened the 21-day window for his return from injured reserve. It isn’t inconceivable that Chicago could activate its starting left tackle for Sunday’s game. But I struggle to see it knowing he hasn’t put together a full practice. Maybe he won’t need to do so. However, he probably should. My guess: Braxton Jones won’t be active this week. If he is, the Bears will have to clear a roster spot because the 53-man active roster is full. Keep that in mind.
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- There are some secondary concerns with safeties Jaquan Brisker (illness) and Eddie Jackson (foot) being questionable to play on Sunday. Brisker hasn’t practiced all week, but still getting listed as questionable is an eyebrow-raising development. We’ll see if he travels with the team on Saturday for Sunday’s showdown. As for Jackson, the good news is that he was upgraded from limited to full participation. That bodes well, but the Bears would be wise to make sure he is at full strength before testing that troublesome foot injury (again).
- The only other players ruled out (besides Justin Fields) are cornerback Terell Smith (still out with mono for at least the nest two games) and right guard Nate Davis (high ankle sprain). Chicago’s offensive line performed admirably without Davis last week. It helps to have Teven Jenkins healthy and available to maul people. Also on the OL injury front, Dan Feeney was a full participant after being limited earlier in the week with knee issues. It would be nice to have the versatile lineman available for action.
- This is where I point out that it is a good sign that defensive end Khalid Kareem has been a full participant in practice. Getting those full days in upon opening the 21-day practice window after leaving IR is encouraging. But I don’t want to spend too much time digging deep on a third-string defensive end who hasn’t taken a defensive snap since the end of the 2022 regular season while with the Colts.
All in all, there seems to be more good news than bad when it comes to the Chicago Bears injury situation. It isn’t perfect by any means. But seeing an injury report where multiple players get upgrades in their practice status is a good sign that I don’t want to take for granted.