The Chicago Bears made some potentially telling roster moves heading into their Week 10 home showdown against the New York Giants, including with veteran tight end Stephen Carlson.
Their injury report on Friday offered the initial clues.
The Bears are battling attrition at several spots heading into Sunday’s contest, so Carlson could see the field often against the Giants.
Bears Shuffle Roster Before Giants Game
Bears Add Stephen Carlson to Game Day Roster
The Bears announced via Friday’s injury report that tight end Durham Smythe was questionable with a calf injury. Most ominously, he first popped up on the final report of the week.
That Carlson was among the moves could signal that Smythe will miss his first game as a Bear.
“The #Bears have elevated TE Stephen Carlson from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants,” Bears Communications announced with a post on X on November 8.
Carlson, 28, is in his third season with the Bears. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Princeton, first signing with the Cleveland Browns.
He has six receptions for 62 yards and 1 touchdown in 28 games with seven starts.
The Bears signed Smythe in free agency this past offseason, largely for his blocking prowess, adding him to a group that includes starters Cole Kmet (who cleared concussion protocol and does have an injury designation entering Sunday) and rookie first-round pick Colston Loveland.
Bears Add 2nd-Year UDFA Amid T.J. Edwards Injury, Cut Ex-Ravens Draft Pick
The Bears also announced they had “signed LB Carl Jones Jr. to the practice squad and released WR Miles Boykin from the practice squad.”
Jones is in his second year with the Bears. A UDFA out of UCLA, he has played in seven games this season after appearing in one as a rookie. He has logged 10 total tackles and, per Pro Football Reference, 117 snaps on special teams this season.
He takes the game-day roster spot of injured linebacker T.J. Edwards.
Boykin was in his first season with the Bears. A third-round selection by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, he has not seen the field in a regular-season game since 2023.
The Bears also announced that rookie UDFA Jahdae Walker would miss Sunday’s contest against the Giants with a concussion sustained on Friday. However, Luther Burden III cleared concussion protocol.
DJ Moore [hip/groin] and Rome Odunze [ankle/heel] shed their injury labels, too.
With Olamide Zaccheaus never in doubt this week, the Bears are healthier at wide receiver than they are at tight end and linebacker.
They still have significant injuries to overcome in the secondary and along their defensive line. However, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who made his Bears debut in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and defensive Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (if he plays following his deadline trade) could both be impactful in that regard.