Latest Bears injury updates on David Montgomery, Khalil Mack and more
The Chicago Bears are coming off their third straight loss with a 33-22 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, where the offense showed signs of progress and the defense continued to regress.
As the Bears prepare to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9, there are several injury situations worth monitoring this week, including outside linebacker Khalil Mack, running back David Montgomery and safety Eddie Jackson.
Here’s the latest about injuries to several Bears players heading into a Week 9 Monday Night showdown against the Steelers.
OLB Khalil Mack
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
The Bears defense looked lost without Khalil Mack on the field on Sunday, and Chicago is hoping to have him back as soon as possible. Mack has been battling a foot injury since Week 3, and he wasn’t expected to play against the 49ers to give him some time to heal. Nagy told reporters that Mack is still considered “day-to-day” with his foot injury, and we’ll see if the Bears decide to play it safe and give him another week — and then the bye week — to rest before making his return in Week 11 when they host Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
RB David Montgomery
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
It’s hard to believe running back David Montgomery has been sidelined for a month, but rookie Khalil Herbert has made the loss bearable. Montgomery suffered a knee sprain back in Week 4 against the Lions, where he was fortunate to avoid a serious injury, although he was placed on injured reserve. Given Montgomery has missed three games, he’s eligible to return from IR this week. Nagy didn’t really give an update on Montgomery rather he said, “He is improving every day.”
S Eddie Jackson
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Safety Eddie Jackson suffered a hamstring injury on the first series of Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, where he was ruled doubtful to return. When Nagy met with the media, he told them they’d work through Jackson’s hamstring injury over the next few days. Basically, we won’t have any real updates until practice later this week.
RB Damien Williams
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Despite Herbert’s success over the last few weeks, Damien Williams got the start at running back for the Bears against the 49ers. But he didn’t find much success on the ground and also suffered a knee injury, which sidelined him for most of the game. Nagy didn’t provide any updates on Williams, but we’ll get some answers later this week during practice. Once again, Chicago’s depth at running back is wearing thin. You have to wonder whether Williams’ status might have some bearing with whether the Bears decide to activate Montgomery off injured reserve this week or let him rest for another couple of weeks before Week 11 coming out of the bye.
TE J.P. Holtz
Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Tight end J.P. Holtz has been battling injuries all season, and that’s unfortunately the case again coming out of Sunday’s loss. Nagy told reporters that Holtz is in concussion protocol after the 49ers game, where his status for Week 9 is in question. Holtz has been a good blocking tight end and valuable special teams contributor. The good news is the Bears do have depth at tight end and someone like Jesse James, who took advantage of his opportunities on Sunday, stands to get more reps.
TE Jimmy Graham
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Remember Jimmy Graham? Yeah, he’s still on the team, believe it or not. Graham has been on the reserve/COVID-19 list for a couple of weeks, which has sidelined him as much as the Bears have. Graham, who has just one catch for 11 yards this season, was removed from the COVID list on Monday. Graham is returning to the team during a time when Chicago has gotten tight ends Cole Kmet and Jesse James more involved and more chemistry with Fields. Let’s hope they continue that trend even with Graham back.
AP Photo/David Berding
With Graham removed from the COVID list, that leaves just right tackle Germain Ifedi among Bears players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. But before he landed there, he was already on injured reserve with a knee injury suffered back in Week 4 against the Lions. Fifth-round rookie Larry Borom got his first NFL start at right tackle against the 49ers, where he had a solid debut. But Nagy didn’t have any updates on Ifedi.
S Deon Bush
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
Safety Deon Bush suffered a quad injury back in Week 6 against the Packers, and the Bears placed him on injured reserve to let him recover. With Bush landing on IR, he has to miss a minimum of three games, which means he’d be eligible to return from IR following Monday’s game against the Steelers. Chicago has a bye week after the Pittsburgh game, which gives Bush an additional week to rest up before potentially returning. Nagy didn’t have any updates on Bush.
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