Matt Eberflus provides some key injury updates for the Chicago Bears ahead of the Week 8 game
The Chicago Bears were able to go to London and get a big win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6, doing so without three starters in the secondary. After Jaquan Brisker and Tyrique Stevenson were ruled out, Kyler Gordon also left the game.
They also lost long snapper Scott Daly forcing Cole Kmet to have to be the emergency long snapper. But now, after a bye week, the Chicago Bears appear to be getting healthier.
Chicago returned to Halas Hall on Monday to prepare for the Washington Commanders and head coach Matt Eberflus provided some key updates to injuries.
“With the injury report, [Jaquan] Brisker is still going through protocol. He’s got a couple more steps to go but looks good,” Eberflus said. “Kyler [Gordon] is working through his hamstring. We’ll see where that is on Wednesday. Scott [Daly] was out there today, our long snapper, so that was good. So was Tyrique [Stevenson]. Tyrique was also out there working through some stuff, but we’ll see where that is on Wednesday. All was hopeful for those guys and we’ll see where it goes from there”
That’s encouraging news.
Daly and Stevenson being at walk-through is encouraging as it’s likely they both will return. Then there’s Gordon. He left the game early in London and while he got the extra week, hamstring injuries are tough to return from. Gordon has been fantastic for the Chicago Bears this season so far and making sure he’s 100% good to go should be key.
While Brisker hasn’t been cleared just yet, he is making some progress and that bye week certainly helped in terms of how long he was in the concussion protocol.
The hope is that the Bears can get their three starters back in the secondary, especially with a showdown against another fantastic rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels coming up. Speaking of….
Will Jayden Daniels play against Chicago Bears?
I mentioned that Jayden Daniels and the Commanders are next on the schedule for the Chicago Bears in a game that pits the top two picks from the 2024 NFL draft against each other. But there’s a chance that the rookie will not play.
Daniels suffered a rib injury in the win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 7, leaving the game early and not returning. He did undergo x-rays and the Commanders revealed that it doesn’t appear to be a serious injury, leaving him week-to-week.
“We’re hopeful he can play,” Quinn said, “but we’ll also make sure to take every precautionary step and do it smartly for the player and the man.”
Quinn said they’ll closely monitor Daniels in practice, making sure he can do all they need him to do, from running to throwing.
“He’s such a unique player that I want to make sure he can be him fully in his own way and the movements, throwing and all the stuff that would go with that,” Quinn said. “I know he’ll do everything he can, but I’ll trust my eyes. We’ll take it every step of the way.
I’d be shocked if the Commanders tipped their hand on Daniels at any point this week as we should be expecting a “limited” designation in practice and likely a “questionable” tag for the actual game this week for Daniels.
If he can’t go, it will be veteran Marcus Mariota getting the start in place of Daniels against one of the best defenses in the NFL with the Chicago Bears. This is certainly something to keep an eye on moving forward this week leading into the game.
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