Bears' Week 2 inactive list provides great news for banged-up defense

The inactive list is out for the Chicago Bears in their Week 2 NFC North showdown against the Detroit Lions, and it gave the team some much-needed good news.

Six players were on the inactive list that included starting cornerback Kyler Gordon, which came as no surprise to anyone as he misses his second straight game. Two second-round pick rookies were included on the list with offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo and defensive lineman Shemar Turner not playing.

The most notable part of the list is that it did not include defensive lineman Grady Jarrett, as he is active for the game. Jarrett only practiced on Friday and was limited with a knee injury. The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs shared his observations of warm-ups with Jarrett on the field at Ford Field with the Bears' training staff, defensive line coaches, and general manager Ryan Poles watching him.

Great news for the Bears with Jarrett playing

Biggs also added that Jarrett did not look 100% on the field, and Turner was getting some work in. Ultimately, the Bears decided to keep Jarrett active for the Lions game.

In last week's 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Jarrett had three tackles, with one of them being a solo tackle. He performed well with stopping the run when he could and showed the balance between that and rushing the passer.

The big question is if Jarrett is not 100%, will he be on a pitch count on the field? Chicago could put more on Andrew Billings to play on the defensive line to take the pressure off Jarrett to play more snaps.

Read more: Bears' telling final Week 2 roster moves highlight next standout of 2025 season

Chicago will be mostly full strength on defense compared to last week against the Vikings. With guys like Jaylon Johnson and T.J. Edwards back, Bears fans should see the full potential of what this defense could look like in 2025.