Head coach Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears returned to the practice field on Tuesday for Week 14. And while they did not release an official injury report, there was good news that sets the stage for several encouraging challenges they must address.
The Bears are leading the NFC and have a chance to exorcise yet another demon, the Green Bay Packers, in Week 14.
It could be their first game with close to their full starting lineup in several weeks.
Bears’ Improving Health Presents Good Problem for Stretch Run
Health Improving at CB & LB
The Bears got both Noah Sewell and T.J. Edwards back on the practice field on Tuesday. While it was not an official session, both players have missed multiple games this season due to injuries.
Their presence follows the Bears getting cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon back in Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
As encouraging as Edwards and Sewell’s return, Gordon and Johnson emerged unscathed.
That was an issue for both players earlier in the season, when their attempts to make their regular-season debuts were cut short. Johnson had not played since Week 2 against the Detroit Lions. Gordon, Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints.
They had not been on the field together at any point before last week against the Eagles, and the Bears made sure to rotate them as necessary.
Bears’ Plan Getting More Complicated
C.J. Gardner-Johnson has filled in too well at nickback to take him off the field for long. The Bears did not have Tyrique Stevenson against the Eagles, rotating Nick McCloud for Johnson opposite Nahshon Wright, who has also played far too well to be removed from the field for long stretches.
The Bears relied heavily on dime looks against the Eagles, but injuries at linebacker certainly played a part in that.
Edwards and Sewell returning, if they do, alleviates some of that concern.
They will also likely see lighter workloads initially, with Sewell missing two weeks and Edwards out since Week 9. That keeps the Bears’ dime looks in play. However, once the LB duo, and particularly Edwards, are back up to speed, divvying snaps will be trickier.
The situation will only be exasperated by Tremaine Edmunds’ hopeful return from the groin strain that will cost him at least two more games on injured reserve.
D-Line Making Do
The Bears remain without starting defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. He is out for the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon, as is rookie second-round pick Shemar Turner, whom the Bears moved from defensive tackle to the edge in hopes of shoring up their run defense.
In light of those losses, the Bears acquired Joe Tryon-Shoyinka from the Cleveland Browns at the trade deadline. Tryon-Shoyinka logged his most snaps as a Bear in Week 13.
The Bears must figure out how all of their part fit together again as they get healthier.
Still, that is among the better problems a team can have at this point of the season, particularly one that was facing questions to the opposite effect earlier on in the campaign. Johnson has said on multiple occasions that he expects the Bears to be playing their best football in December.
Getting healthier, just as the Bears appear to be doing in the early going of Week 14, is a good starting point for accomplishing just that.
