The Chicago Bears' defensive backfield, a crucial component of their secondary strategy that relies heavily on takeaways, was severely depleted during Wednesday's practice due to injuries sustained by several key players.
Tyrique Stevenson, Jaquan Brisker, and Rome Odunze were absent from the field, with Stevenson nursing a shoulder injury suffered during Sunday's game against the Giants. Brisker also sat out, this time due to a back issue. Kevin Byard took a veteran rest day ahead of the matchup against the Vikings, while J.J. McCarthy, who has struggled with turnovers in recent games.
Nahshon Wright acknowledged that the Bears' defensive philosophy remains unchanged despite the loss of key players. "You look at the turnovers and you see opportunities," he said, "but it doesn't matter who the quarterback is - when the ball's up in the air, there's always an opportunity."
Meanwhile, DJ Moore, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury for several weeks, also missed practice on Wednesday. His injury status remains unchanged.
Coach Ben Johnson offered some positive news regarding the team's depth chart, stating that cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are expected to return from injured reserve this season. "We should be able to get them back at some point at the end of the season here," he said, although no specific timeline has been confirmed.
In other injury updates, linebacker T.J. Edwards sat out his fourth consecutive practice due to a nagging hamstring issue and recent surgery on a broken hand. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett took a veteran rest day, while defensive end Dominique Robinson returned to practice after a brief absence caused by an ankle injury sustained during the game in Baltimore.
Tyrique Stevenson, Jaquan Brisker, and Rome Odunze were absent from the field, with Stevenson nursing a shoulder injury suffered during Sunday's game against the Giants. Brisker also sat out, this time due to a back issue. Kevin Byard took a veteran rest day ahead of the matchup against the Vikings, while J.J. McCarthy, who has struggled with turnovers in recent games.
Nahshon Wright acknowledged that the Bears' defensive philosophy remains unchanged despite the loss of key players. "You look at the turnovers and you see opportunities," he said, "but it doesn't matter who the quarterback is - when the ball's up in the air, there's always an opportunity."
Meanwhile, DJ Moore, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury for several weeks, also missed practice on Wednesday. His injury status remains unchanged.
Coach Ben Johnson offered some positive news regarding the team's depth chart, stating that cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are expected to return from injured reserve this season. "We should be able to get them back at some point at the end of the season here," he said, although no specific timeline has been confirmed.
In other injury updates, linebacker T.J. Edwards sat out his fourth consecutive practice due to a nagging hamstring issue and recent surgery on a broken hand. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett took a veteran rest day, while defensive end Dominique Robinson returned to practice after a brief absence caused by an ankle injury sustained during the game in Baltimore.
especially tyrique stevenson was supposed to be like the anchor of that secondary 
and now they're gonna have to figure it out without him... i mean coach ben is trying to spin it positive but come on 4th straight practice for tj edwards with a hammy 
and grady jarrett taking a rest day like what even is that? 
still gotta root for the bears though, hopefully they can find some depth and make it work 
. Can't we just have one decent offseason without something going down? 
. I mean, come on Coach Johnson, you gotta have some faith in your backup plan, right? 
The whole secondary is just falling apart right before our eyes 
. And don't even get me started on Kevin Byard taking a rest day, like that's not going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things 
. I swear, this team can't catch a break, and it's all going to come crashing down around them 
.
. They've got depth, they've got talent, and if they stick to their game plan, I think they can still pull off some wins 
. gotta wonder what's going on with jj mccarthy, turnovers are killing them lately 
. fingers crossed for the rest of the season! 
What does it say about us as fans and as a society when we prioritize wins over people? 
? but i guess coaches ben jones says were doing alright with the depth chart so that's a plus 
. btw do u think we shd have more team meetings just to discuss injuries and stuff? idk maybe im just worried cuz our school football team relies on us students to support them 
. Nahshon Wright is right that turnovers happen regardless of who's under center, but come on guys, we're not in high school anymore 
. And now they're losing multiple cornerbacks to injury... 
.
like i had scrambled eggs and bacon and a bunch of pancakes and they were SOOO good 
but anyway back to this football news... i dont get why they cant just take a break from practice lol like tyrique stevenson is hurt and stuff so he can recover 
i wonder if its because coach ben johnson wants them to conserve energy or something? 
.
️, but the fact that T.J. Edwards has been sitting out for 4 straight practices is worrying 
...
. J.J. McCarthy is just getting worse by the game 
. I mean, takeaways are super important but if they can't field a whole backfield, how are they gonna stop opposing QBs? 
. Nahshon Wright saying that turnovers are opportunities is true, but what about those kids' health? 
At least coach Ben Johnson said some good things about Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon coming back from injured reserve... fingers crossed! 
! Losing so many key players at once is just not ideal. I feel like they're gonna have to rely on younger guys to step up, which might be tough since they've been struggling with turnovers lately 
. Jaylon and Kyler getting back from IR would be a huge boost - fingers crossed!