The Changing Chicago Bears Roster: How Injuries Have Impacted the Season
The Bears’ secondary has been rocked by injuries to the starters and the depth players this season. This has really hurt. It’s not only hurt the unit but it’s hurt the team and injuries here have cost them some wins this season.
Starting cornerback Kyle Fuller had his knee worked on right before the season began and has missed every game so far. It’s been indicated that the Bears are thinking of bringing him back off injured reserve as their designated “return” player. Keep an eye on this as having Fuller back would be huge.
The starter opposite Fuller, Tracy Porter, has had his moments with injuries. He has struggled with a knee injury but hasn’t missed hardly any time. He might miss a play here or there but he’s been in the lineup just about 100% of the time. Some of his struggle with the knee has shown though as he has had some issues covering receivers. Porter is a decent cover corner but when he’s hurt, he’s a little bit of a liability. He will probably play the rest of the season on the bum leg.
You may not notice this that much but the Bears have missed Bryce Callahan’s presence in the lineup, this season, when he is out. Callahan has been suffering from injuries to his groin, hamstring and has been sidelined with a concussion. Callahan is a good hitter and a solid coverage guy but he is consistently injured and this hurts Chicago. It will be interesting to see if he can remain healthy for the remainder of the season because it would be nice to see what he can do.
The Bears’ depth in the secondary has been hit with injuries along with the starters. Some of the draft picks they brought in have remained sidelined with a slew of injuries. Deiondre Hall has missed time with an ankle injury since Week five and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be back anytime soon. That’s too bad because he has a lot of promise and needs to develop. He isn’t making any progress and that’s hurting himself and the team.
Deon Bush started last week’s game and looked very good. He may see additional starts in upcoming games. He did have a hamstring issue in week one but otherwise has been healthy.
Cre’Von LeBlanc had been seeing some action as the Bears’ nickel back but after a few rough outings, he was cast out of the lineup with a concussion. LeBlanc suffered the injury in the Giants game and is going through the NFL’s concussion protocol. It’s likely he won’t be ready for this week’s game against the Titans.
The secondary’s health has been an issue all season but hopefully some of the guys that have been missing time, like Fuller and Hall, will be back soon. It would be great if Fuller could get back as that would give the Bears two solid starters at the cornerback positions and help make their defense that much better.
Wouldn’t it be nice to end the season on a bit of a high note?
UPDATE: At the time this article Demontre Hurst was on the injury report with a knee injury. He was limited in practice. Sherrick McMannis, who has been struggling with a knee issue, was limited in practice also.