NEWSLETTER
A Chicago Bears victory against the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football helped soften the blow that came with the team dealing with a wave of in-game injuries. We figured there would be some sort of fallout to come while the Bears were off and we’re finally starting to see it.
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero has Bears injury updates by the bunches:
I’ve never watched a Bears game and witnessed their three top running backs go down with injuries. That was tough to watch. And I’m glad the Bears were ahead far enough in the game to where it didn’t matter in terms of it impacting the game in a negative way. But now, the Bears are left to pick up the pieces of a tattered running backs room.
Bears injury update shakes up running backs room
That collection of injuries left the Bears giving fullback Khari Blasingame eight carries (in which he gained 26 yards) in the later stages of the game. But if you were expecting more fullback dive calls in the future, just know that they aren’t going to be as likely as you might otherwise expect. Help is on the way for Chicago’s backfield. And it’ll be here well ahead of the team’s Week 6 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
D’Onta Foreman, who has been inactive for each of the last four games, is expected to return to the running backs rotation. Foreman signed with the Bears shortly after David Montgomery left to join the Detroit Lions in free agency. For what it’s worth, this pinch-hit role feels like one that Foreman can excel in — if only because we’ve seen him do it before.
Last year, we saw Foreman put up five 100-yard rushing games for the Carolina Panthers after the team sent Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. Starting in Week 7, Foreman averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns. He ran to a 17-game pace of 295 rushes, 1,355 yards, and 8 touchdowns during that 11-game stretch. This isn’t me saying that I expect Foreman to put up those types of numbers if given a full-size workload. Instead, it is to underscore that Foreman is a capable back who can hold the fort while the guys ahead of him on the depth chart get healthy.
And to further bolster the running backs room, the Bears are bringing back old friend Darrynton Evans:
It is a homecoming for Evans, who played six games with the Bears in 2022. So at least there is some familiarity there with the player (and for the player, an understanding of the scheme and verbiage). This should make for a smooth transition whenever Evans gets here. It is unclear if Evans will join the practice squad or the active roster. Perhaps we’ll get clarity on that front once the Bears decide whether or not Herbert should go on IR. In any case we’ll be monitoring the news with great interest.
