Eberflus on injuries with three players out, five questionable against Cardinals |
CHICAGO - Chicago’s offensive line depth will be questioned when they face the Arizona Cardinals this coming Sunday (3:05 p.m. / CBS). Two linemen have already been ruled out, while another three are questionable, and one of them, Bill Murray, is on injured reserve (IR).
Safety Jaquan Brisker is also out, while edge rusher Montez Sweat and cornerback Kyler Gordon are questionable. “Jaquan is still going to be out for this week and (offensive lineman) Braxton Jones will also be out this week. Montez is, we’re just giving him another day of rest and we’ll see where it goes through the next 48 hours. But again, we thought the day of rest here would be good for his injury,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “Gordon did some work today. We’ll see where that goes going into the weekend and then (offensive lineman) Teven Jenkins was good today. He participated in most of the practice and he looks good out there, feels good. So, we’re hopeful there.” The other two offensive linemen who are questionable are Larry Borom and Ryan Bates, who were on IR. With Jones out, it is possible that Borom could play left tackle if he is able to. Bates is also a versatile player that could arguably play anywhere along the line. “Larry’s been working in there (at left tackle). We feel really good about that. We want to make sure that we’re not moving multiple spots and we’ll see where that goes,” Eberflus said. “But, Larry’s done a good job in there and again, our right side’s the right side and it should be pretty solid there.” Brisker has not played in a game since Oct. 6 when the Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers. This Sunday will mark the third game he has missed. It is also his third season in a row missing time because of a concussion. Unfortunately for Brisker, this situation has evolved into one that is not so different from Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was reported contemplating retirement after his third confirmed concussion since joining the NFL. Perhaps it is time for Brisker to have that conversation as well and Eberflus stated Brisker is still experiencing concussion symptoms. “He just has those symptoms. So, again, it’s always going to be about his safety and his health and where he is and Jaquan brings a lot of passion and energy to our team and certainly to our defense and he was having a really good year leading up to this,” Eberflus said. “So, his health and safety is first and we want to make sure that we do a good job with that first and then he’ll bring that passion and energy back like he always does.” Chicago could also be without another defensive starter, but for a very different reason. It is unclear whether cornerback Tyrique Stevenson will start for the Bears this coming Sunday after his actions on the Hail Mary against the Washington Commanders. Eberflus declined to comment either way. “I’ve talked to Tyrique. He’s had a really good week of practice,” Eberflus said. “He’s done well with refocusing in and I appreciate his efforts moving into the next phase, which is Arizona.” On the other side of the ball, the Bears will have to contend with one of the best safeties in the NFL. Budda Baker is a six-time Pro-Bowler and two-time All-Pro who seems well on his way to another Pro Bowl season. He already has two pass breakups and 79 total tackles. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams will have to handle Baker’s presence if Chicago is going to win this game. “Budda Baker moves around there. He’s dropping in from the middle (part) of the field. They have a three safety look, mostly in a five-down look and he’ll be dropping in. He’s not always dropping in, but the big guys that drop in. But, he’s mostly the guy that does that. So, when you’re spotting out your run, sometimes that does create a little bit of confusion there,” Eberflus said. “So, our guys have done a good job in practice. But again, it’s going to be full speed and it’s going to be a really good player and a really good front because they move it around a little bit and our guys got to do a really good job communicating.”
