Bears Final Week 12 Injury Report: Linebacker position takes a massive blow at the wrong time with the team playing things safe
The Bears will be without three of their top linebackers in Week 12.
The Chicago Bears have wrapped up another week of practice going into Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and while all eyes on the injury front are dialed into Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his availability, the Bears defense got some bad news going into the weekend.
The Bears have ruled out three of the team’s top linebackers, along with two other players going into this Week 12 matchup with four other players listed as questionable.
Let’s take a look at the full list and breakout the top areas to watch.
Bears Final Week 12 Injury Report vs. Steelers
| Player | Injury | W/T/F | Status |
| LB Tremaine Edmunds | Groin | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| LB T.J. Edwards | Hand/Hamstring | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| RB Travis Homer | Hamstring/Knee | Limited/DNP/DNP | Out |
| RB Roschon Johnson | Thumb | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| LB Noah Sewell | Elbow | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| LT Theo Benedet | Quad | -/Limited/Limited | Questionable |
| S Jaquan Brisker | Shoulder | DNP/Full/Full | Questionable |
| CB Kyler Gordon* | Calf | Limited/Limited/Full | Questionable |
| CB Jaylon Johnson* | Groin | Limited/Full/Full | Questionable |
| S Kevin Byard | NIR (Rest) | DNP/Full/Full | Active |
| C Drew Dalman | Knee | Limited/Limited/Full | Active |
| DT Grady Jarrett | NIR (Rest) | DNP/Full/Full | Active |
| CB Tyrique Stevenson | Hip/Calf | Limited/Limited/Full | Active |
| RB D’Andre Swift | Hip | Limited/Full/Full | Active |
| LG Joe Thuney | NIR (Rest) | -/DNP/Full | Active |
| RT Darnell Wright | Pectoral/Back | Limited/Limited/Full | Active |
Linebacker core takes a big hit going into Week 12 while the coaches play it safe with returning CBs
The Bears got some bittersweet news on the injury front going into the weekend. It was great to see Jaylon Johnson back as a full participant and Kyler Gordon get back out there on the grass, but the linebacker core took a massive hit this week with the top three players all banged up and ruled out.
Looking at this final report, it makes sense the Bears are intending to play some things smart when it comes to bringing guys back and rushing them on the field. Johnson and Gordon are technically listed as questionable, but I would be shocked if either cornerback suits up so soon (although Johnson would have the best odds of returning on Sunday).
After this weekend, the Bears have a quick turnaround before facing the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday, which makes some of the decisions more complicated than a normal game week.
“We’re conscious of it,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson explained. “We’ve been really smart this week, we’ve scaled back the volume a little bit just with that in mind, out on the practice field, while still getting the work in.”
As it stands for Sunday, the Bears will be turning to D’Marco Jackson and rookie Ruben Hyppolite II at the two starting linebacker positions, who have played a combined 50 defensive snaps this season. Jackson has experience in Dennis Allen’s scheme going back to his time in New Orleans and Hyppolite was highly sought after in the draft by the Bears for his impact speed. It’ll be a big opportunity for both players to step up.
At the same time, Allen will likely go into more nickel and dime looks using one/two linebackers. Allen’s unit has run a ton of nickel looks defensively, using two outside cornerbacks, two safeties, and a nickel defender in Gordon or more recently C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Expect to see a heavy usage of those small personnel groups, even against a heavy personnel offense the Steelers are bringing in.
Other Observations
- Mixed news on the offensive front. Center Drew Dalman and right tackle Darnell Wright will be active after being limited on Wednesday and Thursday, but on the other bookend, left tackle Theo Benedet was listed as questionable after being limited with a quad injury.
- If Benedet can’t go, the Bears will likely turn to rookie Ozzy Trapilo protecting the blindside.
- Jaquan Brisker is the player to watch leading up to Sunday with three LBs out. He was listed as questionable last week with the same injury, though he managed to play 54 defensive snaps.
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