Bears injury report: Jaylon Johnson and Eddie Jackson ruled out for Broncos game
Bears injury report: Jaylon Johnson and Eddie Jackson ruled out for Broncos game
Who can replace the Bears’ secondary stars?
The Bears have placed CB Josh Blackwell on injured reserve, and fellow DBs Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Johnson, and Eddie Jackson have been ruled out for Sunday. Coach Matt Eberflus discusses the young players still available to lead the secondary against the Broncos.
The Bears will be without several key secondary players when they face the Broncos this Sunday. The team announced on Friday that starting outside corner Jaylon Johnson, starting free safety Eddie Jackson, and backup nickel corner Josh Blackwell are all out for the Week 4 game. Kyler Gordon, the starting nickelback, is already on injured reserve due to a broken hand.
Rookies Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith will start at cornerback, while second-year players Jaquan Brisker and Elijah Hicks and third-stringer Greg Stroman will play the slot.
How does that compare to the youngest secondaries that head coach Matt Eberflus has fielded in his NFL career?
“It’s probably No. 1,” Eberflus said. “Those guys are thrilled. They’re ready, and we played a lot of young players last season. They have talent and are good players. We’re thrilled to have Smitty and Tyrique in there full-time. “It will be a good challenge for those guys.”
It will undoubtedly be a challenge, given the Broncos’ talented pass catchers, which include Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and rookie phenom Marvin Mims. Furthermore, under new Broncos head coach Sean Payton, quarterback Russell Wilson has performed better than he did in 2022.
It’s also worth noting that Travis Homer is questionable to play due to an ankle injury. Homer has been a key special teams contributor for the Bears this season. This year, he has played more than 60% of the team’s third-phase snaps and made one tackle.
