Not the best press conference Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has had as he was left in the tough position to share some bad injury updates for the team.
As many have feared, cornerback Terell Smith is out for the season and will be placed on injured reserve. Smith suffered a leg injury in the 38-0 win over the Buffalo Bills and was carted off the field.
Ben Johnson said that CB Terell Smith is out for the season. He'll be placed on injured reserve after injuring his leg on Sunday.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 20, 2025
Johnson also shared that running back Deion Hankins was placed on injured reserve after hurting his quad in the Bills game, while also dealing with a shoulder injury. The Bears have signed running back Royce Freeman as his replacement.
Hankins has a shoulder injury, according to Johnson, but the injury that he sustained in the Bills game that is sending him to injured reserve is a quad injury. https://t.co/KcQ3k5BFNG
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 20, 2025
The impact of preseason injuries is starting to mount for the Bears
Chicago's secondary has taken the biggest hit with injuries, as starting corners Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon have been out with injuries. Rookie Zah Frazier has not practiced throughout training camp as well.
It's a brutal hit to lose Smith who was making strides to potentially compete with Tyrique Stevenson for the CB2 job. Smith has been a good role player over the last two years for the Bears with 10 pass deflections and one interception in 26 games.
Hankins was also having a nice training camp and preseason with 23 rushing yards on seven carries in the first game against the Miami Dolphins. Before his injury, he added 10 yards on the ground on three carries in the Bears-Bills matchup.
Freeman is an NFL veteran who has played for four NFL teams in the regular season since 2018. He's most likely just a camp body to help with the depth at running back before the final cutdown of the roster.
Read more: Latest Vikings update signals Bears could have massive Week 1 advantage
The major advantage for the Bears right now is that they have good depth at running back and cornerback, but cannot afford anymore injuries at those positions as it could get tougher to bounce back from them.