The first injury report for the Chicago Bears ahead of their Week 10 matchup against the New England Patriots is out.
Unfortunately, so were a handful of key players.
Wednesday’s injury report update is as long as it is ugly. Here is the rundown of the most notable injured players:
- Offensive linemen Braxton Jones (knee) and Kiran Amegadjie (calf) did not practice on Wednesday. Both players missed last week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals after being injured in the team’s previous game against the Washington Commanders. This thrust Larry Borom into the starting lineup at left tackle after spending the first eight weeks of the year on IR. In case you missed how that went, it went poorly (which is putting it kindly). There is a belief that Jones’ injury would cause him to miss as little as two weeks. If that is how the cookie crumbles, then the Bears could possibly welcome him back in Week 11. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
- Defensive tackle Andrew Billings didn’t practice — and it sounds like he might be done for the year. That is a bummer for the Bears’ best run-stuffing defensive tackle (who also happens to have found another gear as a pass-rusher in 2024). We’ll discuss his loss, pending long-term absence, and what the Bears can do to fill in for him in a later post.
- Defensive backs Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and Jaylon Jones (shoulder) joined the party of non-participants at practice. Brisker has been out since suffering a concussion against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 6. As for Jones, he went down with a shoulder injury against the Cardinals. The Bears have all sorts of depth in the secondary, which is helpful. But still … I’m tired of seeing defensive backs taking up space on the injury report.
- Speaking of DBs on the injury report: Cornerbacks Kyler Gordon (hamstring) and Terell Smith (ankle) were limited participants. Gordon’s hamstring injury took place during the Bears’ win against the Jaguars in London on Oct. 13. And while he missed the loss against the Cardinals, things were trending in the right direction at the end of last week. Maybe more good news is on the horizon. As for Smith, he started in place of Tyrique Stevenson and played admirably before the injury. Hopefully, the ankle injury will heal up before Sunday’s game.
- Defensive ends Montez Sweat (shin) and Darrell Taylor (knee) were limited in practice. Sweat ended last week’s stretch of practices with a DNP and did not play in Sunday’s game. My hope here is that the limited designation for both players gets cleared up by the end of the week.
- How about wrapping this up on a high note? Offensive linemen Teven Jenkins (knee) and Ryan Bates (shoulder) were full participants on Wednesday. Jenkins played 100 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 9 despite spending time on the injury report leading up to the game. As for Bates, being a full-go today is the first step toward activation from injured reserve. The Bears need to clear up a roster spot to make that happen, but I’m sure they can do it.
Chicago Bears Week 9 Injury Report — Wednesday’s Update
All we can hope for is that some of those limited-participation players get an upgrade by the time Friday rolls around. Otherwise, Friday could look equally messy. Stay tuned.