Health is paramount to the success of any team in the NFL. Avoiding major injuries often separates the winners and losers. For the Chicago Bears, they managed to make it through most of the summer without any notable setbacks. It looked like they were heading into Sunday against the Tennessee Titans ready to go. As is often the case, things can turn on a dime in that regard. The Bears were hit with two critical pieces of health news on the final Friday injury report ahead of the game.
The good news is that both Keenan Allen (heel) and Montez Sweat (toe) practiced in full. Though declared questionable, it is believed both will be ready for action. The bad news is that the Bears’ defensive line took multiple hits. Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin) tried practicing all week but didn’t make the progress he’d hoped. The Bears held him out on Friday and officially declared him out. It gets worse. Darrell Taylor, their recent trade acquisition from Seattle, also popped up with a foot issue. He is questionable after not practicing.
Losing Pickens is one thing, but not having Taylor and his reliable pass rush skills could make life difficult for the front four. This doesn’t include DeMarcus Walker, who is dealing with a groin issue. If Taylor can’t go, there is a strong probability that the Chicago Bears will feature rookie 5th-round pick Austin Booker a ton across from Sweat on Sunday. He was excellent in the preseason and earned a spot in the rotation. It also puts more of a load on defensive tackle Gervon Dexter with Pickens out. Another trade acquisition, Chris Williams could see significant snaps. It will be interesting to see how head coach Matt Eberflus handles this. He may decide to get more aggressive with his blitz packages to harass Will Levis. Much will depend on how the line functions early in the game.
