Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday that defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo will miss Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons with a quad injury, though the team does not plan to place him on injured reserve. Johnson also split his two hamstring-injured defensive starters into different timelines: cornerback Tyrique Stevenson is day to day, while linebacker T.J. Edwards is week to week.
“Tyrique will be more day-to-day and T.J. is more week-to-week,” Johnson told reporters before a walkthrough practice that produced only an estimated injury report.
Odeyingbo out, but no IR
Odeyingbo was hurt in Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers. Johnson said the staff still does not know exactly how long he will be sidelined.
“Unknown quite yet how long he could potentially be out,” Johnson said. “We don’t feel like it’s serious enough to warrant IR and yet it is likely he’ll miss some time here.” Courtney Cronin reported that Odeyingbo is expected to miss the trip to Atlanta while avoiding injured reserve.
The timing is rough for the edge group. Montez Sweat was suspended two games without pay on Tuesday for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, so Chicago will be without both starting defensive ends on Sunday. Austin Booker and Shemar Turner, who was activated from the PUP list this week, are the most likely options to absorb the snaps, with James Lynch, Daniel Hardy and Jamree Kromah behind them.
“The good news is, we have really planned for this,” Johnson said. “We’ve got some guys on the active roster that haven’t even been active yet – some defensive linemen that we feel strongly about and what they did during training camp. This might be their opportunity as well.”
Edwards the bigger concern
Edwards and Stevenson both left the Packers game with hamstring injuries. Jeremy Fowler noted that Edwards’ injury is an aggravation of the hamstring issue he dealt with earlier this season, which makes a cautious approach more likely. If Edwards misses time, Devin Bush, D’Marco Jackson, Noah Sewell and Jack Sanborn give the Bears experienced depth at linebacker.
Stevenson has been in and out of the lineup with hamstring trouble all season, but the day-to-day tag leaves the door open for him to face Atlanta if he can practice later in the week.
Gordon and Williams
Slot cornerback Kyler Gordon has practiced fully since his PUP window opened on Sept. 30, but Chicago has no open roster spot after activating Turner. The Bears must activate Gordon by next Thursday or he reverts to season-ending injured reserve. “We’re considering all options,” Johnson said.
Quarterback Caleb Williams, working back from a Grade 2 hamstring strain, was expected to be a full participant in Wednesday’s walkthrough. “It’s still fluid,” Johnson said of his status. “But, I feel good about the plan we have in place at this point.”
Why it matters for Week 6
Chicago visits Atlanta at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, October 18, against a Falcons offense built around Bijan Robinson, then turns around to face the New England Patriots on Thursday night. A thin front seven against one of the league’s best backs is the matchup to watch, and Thursday’s injury report will show whether Stevenson is trending toward playing.
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