Hicks (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday.
The third-year pro from California has missed each of the Bears' last two games due to an ankle injury, and Wednesday's DNP suggests that he's still nursing the issue. Hicks likely needs to upgrade to at least limited practice participation Thursday or Friday in order to return for the Bears' Week 14 matchup against the 49ers.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Kevin Byard: Dealing with shoulder issue
Rotowire
Byard (shoulder) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.
Byard appears to have picked up a shoulder injury in the Bears' Thanksgiving Day loss to the Lions, despite playing 100 percent of the team's defensive snaps and recording 10 total tackles and one pass defended. The veteran safety's practice participation Thursday and Friday will likely provide the best indication of whether he can play through the issue in a Week 14 matchup against the 49ers.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Jonathan Owens: Taking advantage of opportunity
Rotowire
Owens posted eight tackles (two solo) and one pass defensed in the Bears' 23-20 loss to the Lions on Thursday.
Owens barely saw the field through Week 11, but the veteran moved into a full-time role over the last two games while Elijah Hicks (ankle) missed time. The safety now has back-to-back games with eight tackles. If Hicks continues to miss time, Owens would remain an excellent IDP streamer.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Gervon Dexter: First sack since Week 5
Rotowire
Dexter recorded seven tackles (three solo), including 1.0 sacks, and also recovered a fumble in the Bears' 23-20 loss to the Lions on Thursday.
Dexter averaged 2.5 tackles through Chicago's first six games, but the defensive tackle has notched at least five stops in four of the last six games. However, the second-year player has just 1.0 sack in the last seven contests after starting the season with 4.0 sacks through Week 5. Dexter has been an inconsistent IDP, but in leagues that start defensive tackles, he is a weekly upside play.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Kevin Byard: Remains hot
Rotowire
Byard tallied 10 tackles (five solo) and a pass defensed in the Bears' 23-20 loss to the Lions on Thursday.
Byard has averaged nine tackles over the last four games after failing to surpass seven tackles in all but one game through Week 9. With a full month of strong tackle totals, the safety has turned into one of the top IDPs at defensive back.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Elijah Hicks: Won't play at Detroit
Rotowire
Hicks is out for Thursday's game against the Lions.
Hicks will miss his second straight contest in Week 13 as he continues to work through an ankle injury he suffered in Week 11 versus the Packers. In his stead, Jonathan Owens projects to start at safety again Thursday.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Montez Sweat: First sack since Week 8
Rotowire
Sweat tallied three tackles (two solo), including 1.0 sacks and an additional tackle for loss, in the Bears' 30-27 overtime loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
Sweat has 4.5 sacks in 2024. However, the defensive end is averaging 2.1 tackles per contest, mostly rendering him a sack-dependent IDP.
... See More... See Less
Bears' DeMarcus Walker: Up to 3.5 sacks this season
Rotowire
Walker tallied five tackles (two solo), including 1.0 sacks and an additional QB hit, in the Bears' 30-27 overtime loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
Although this was the second consecutive game in which Walker recorded a sack, this was the first time since Week 8 the veteran posted more than three tackles. Unless Walker can post improved tackle totals with some consistency, he'll remain a sack-dependent IDP.
... See More... See Less
Bears' T.J. Edwards: Solid tackle numbers
Rotowire
Edwards recorded nine tackles (three solo), including one for loss, in the Bears' 30-27 overtime loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
Edwards has tallied between six and nine stops in eight of 11 games. The veteran has a strong weekly scoring floor while mixing in the occasional spike game, making him a reliable IDP.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Tremaine Edmunds: Strong performance in defeat
Rotowire
Edmunds tallied nine tackles (four solo) and defended a pass in the Bears' 30-27 overtime loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
This was only the third time all season that the Edmunds recorded more than seven tackles. The linebacker remains a player who typically posts 4-6 stops with occasional upside.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Kevin Byard: Leads team in stops
Rotowire
Byard posted 13 tackles (11 solo) in the Bears' 30-27 overtime loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
Byard has been putting up his best numbers of the season over the last three weeks. After the safety had just a single game with more than seven tackles through Week 9, Byard is averaging nine stops over the last three games. The veteran should be considered an elite IDP unless and until he shows regression over multiple weeks.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Elijah Hicks: Out for Week 12
Rotowire
Hicks (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Vikings.
Hicks has started each of the last five games at safety for the Bears after Jaquan Brisker (concussion) was placed on injured reserve. Jonathan Owens is next up on the depth chart at safety for the Bears alongside Kevin Byard.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Elijah Hicks: Still sidelined
Rotowire
Hicks (ankle) will not practice Wednesday, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.
Hicks suffered the injury in Sunday's loss to the Packers and still appears to be dealing with the effects of it. He'll still have the opportunity to get on the field Thursday and Friday ahead of Sunday's divisional matchup with the Vikings.
... See More... See Less
Adrian Colbert: Returning to Chicago
Rotowire
The Bears signed Colbert to their practice squad Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Colbert will return to Chicago, with whom he appeared in two games over the past two seasons prior to being released in August. He will provide an insurance option at safety, though he might end up seeing most of his snaps on special teams if he's elevated from the practice squad.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Elijah Hicks: Injures ankle Sunday
Rotowire
Hicks rolled his ankle in Sunday's 20-19 loss to the Packers, Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The injury likely occurred late in the game, as Hicks logged 37 defensive snaps (86 percent). He finished the contest with four tackles (two solo). This news comes on the same day the Bears worked out five safeties, which indicates this injury should be monitored going forward. If the strong safety ultimately misses any time, Tarvarius Moore would be the likely candidate to replace him.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Kevin Byard: Big tackle numbers
Rotowire
Byard tallied nine stops in the Bears' 20-19 loss to the Packers on Sunday.
After recording between five and seven tackles in six consecutive games, Byard has 20 tackles over the last two games. This is the first time all season the safety has stacked big games together. Although it's possible this recent level of production continues, it may still be wise to view Byard as a solid floor IDP with upside.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Jaquan Brisker: Could miss rest of 2024 season
Rotowire
General manager Ryan Poles relayed Sunday that Brisker (concussion) "wasn't making the progress we wanted," which is what caused the Bears to place the third-year safety on injured reserve Saturday, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.
Prior to being placed on IR, Brisker had already missed the Bears' previous four games due to a concussion he suffered in Week 5 against the Panthers. The 2022 second-round pick has evidently struggled to go through the league's five-step concussion protocols, and even though the earliest he could return from IR would be Week 15 against the Vikings on Monday, Dec. 16, Poles noted that the Bears are, "Going to slow...and allow[ing] [Brisker] to take his time to come back. Would love to see him back this year, but we're just going to take it one week at a time." If he is in fact sidelined for the rest of the 2024 regular season, Brisker will finish with 40 tackles (23 solo), including 1.0 sacks, two pass defenses (including one interception) and one forced fumble across five games.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Tarvarius Moore: Cleared to play Sunday
Rotowire
Moore (concussion) is active for Sunday's game against the Packers.
Moore suffered a concussion during the Bears' Week 10 loss to New England but cleared protocols after logging a full practice Friday. He's yet to record a defensive snap this season but has been a core special-teams player.
... See More... See Less
Bears' Montez Sweat: Good to go Sunday
Rotowire
Sweat (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against the Packers.
After not practicing Wednesday, Sweat was a limited participant Thursday and logged a full session Friday, putting him on track to play against the Packers, who are coming off their bye week. On the season, Sweat has 16 tackles (10 solo), including 3.5 sacks, seven QB hits, two pass breakups and one forced fumble.
... See More... See Less
Sam Roberts: Gets tryout with Panthers
Rotowire
Carolina hosted Roberts (undisclosed) for a tryout Friday, Howard Balzer of USA Today reports.
Roberts was waived from the Bears' practice squad injured list Oct. 2 due to an unspecified issue. He appears to be over the injury, and he's looking to catch on with a team in need of interior line depth. Roberts played in seven regular-season games for the Patriots in 2023 and finished with five tackles (two solo).
