The Chicago Bears are about to face arguably the best defense in the NFL on Sunday, led by the best pass rush. The Dallas Cowboys have 29 sacks this season. So it isn’t the best time for a team to have offensive line issues. Having already lost Lucas Patrick to Injured Reserve with a toe injury, the Bears got more bad news on Friday. Right tackle Larry Borom missed his third consecutive practice and was declared out for Sunday with a concussion.
That means veteran Riley Reiff will likely take his place for the game. While not ideal, it’s at least nice having a longtime veteran with so much starting experience able to step in. That said, not everything was bad. Chicago announced they have activated former 1st round pick Alex Leatherwood from the NFI list. That means he will be able to lend a hand this weekend and moving forward. The timing is welcome, given their depth issues.
#Bears Friday Injury Report: pic.twitter.com/uA0h7TOboQ
— Bears Communications (@BearsPR) October 28, 2022
#Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Alex Leatherwood will be activated.
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) October 28, 2022
Patrick played limited snaps through the first few weeks due to a hand injury. Then once he was finally healthy, Cody Whitehair hurt his knee and has been on IR ever since. Now Borom joins the cast of walking wounded. Considering how limited this group was on paper, this isn’t a situation the Bears wanted. Justin Fields is one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL. Now he has to face Micah Parson and DeMarcus Lawrence without his best pass-protecting tackle.
It is hard to tell what Reiff can offer the Chicago Bears. He hasn’t been the player he was five years ago. Those are the consequences of getting older. He can’t move like he used to. That is why it is a fair assumption the Bears will focus on running the football a lot on Sunday. It is what they do best and the only way they can reasonably keep Fields safe.
