An underreported injury in recent days has been Khari Blasingame. While he is not a prominently known member of the team, it is clear the Chicago Bears value his presence as a chess piece in the offense.
So, when he was spotted on the sideline with his hand wrapped, it started to raise red flags. The smoke got hotter recently when the Bears added David Moore to the IR, giving them a chance to sign Jake Bargas.
The team has to trim their roster by five players in the next 48 hours, so it was assumed that Moore going to the IR would not be replaced by a player. When he was replaced by a fullback, there was a fair question of whether his signing had to do with the Blasingame hand injury.
However, the Chicago Bears got good news when they saw Blasingame at practice, and without a brace around his hand.
So, perhaps the team will be limiting his snaps and easing him back in, which caused them to sign a depth fullback. Still, the move is interesting considering they will have to release five more players, and you would assume that Bargas is not one of them.
Jake Tonges is a UDFA rookie, and he has been working at tight end and fullback. While he has done fine at fullback, perhaps the team wants to get him to work at tight end, and thus they want a second fullback.
We will find out more on this when the team does release five more players. As for Blasingame, the fact that he is practicing is a strong indication that he will be fine for week one.
We should not anticipate him to play in the preseason, but with a new coaching staff, you never know. For now, the team will have three fullbacks.