The Chicago Bears will have to face the Pittsburgh Steelers without all three of their top linebackers after the latest injury update for Week 12’s matchup.
Following November 21’s practice, the Bears ruled out linebackers Tremaine Edmunds (groin), T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring) and Noah Sewell (elbow) on their final injury report for Week 12’s home game against the Steelers, reducing the unit to backups.
Edwards is still dealing with the same injuries that held him out of the Bears’ 19-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings last week, but the injuries to Edmunds and Sewell are new. None of the three linebackers participated in any of the Bears’ three practices this week.
With all three starters ruled out, the Bears are down to D’Marco Jackson, fourth-round rookie Ruben Hyppolite II and Amen Ogbongbemiga as their only healthy linebackers. They also have Carl Jones Jr. and veteran Jalen Reeves-Maybin on the practice squad to consider for elevation, decisions that would need to come before 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.
The Bears (7-3) will kick off against the Steelers (6-4) at 1 p.m. ET on November 23.
Will Bears Call Upon Jalen Reeves-Maybin for Help?
The Bears are facing a bleak situation with all three of their top linebackers down for Sunday’s game against the Steelers, but they did at least make one pre-emptive roster move earlier this week to brace for the possibility of turning to their backup plans.
According to the team’s transaction wire, the Bears signed former Detroit Lions veteran linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin — a 2023 Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro selection for special teams — to their practice squad on November 18 ahead of their first practice.
Reeves-Maybin made his biggest impact with the Lions as a core special teams player, but he has also logged 1,639 defensive snaps across his 114 career games. He started 11 games at inside linebacker for the Lions in 2021, tallying 82 total tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass deflections and two forced fumbles (one recovered) in 15 games.
While Reeves-Maybin has practiced just three times with the Bears, it may help that he has experience with head coach Ben Johnson from their overlapping time in Detroit.
Either way, the Bears are almost certain to call up one of their linebackers — Jones or Reeves-Maybin — to bolster their ranks against the Steelers, given their lack of depth.
Bears Rule Out 2 RBs, List 4 Others as Questionable
The Bears’ linebacker corps isn’t their only position group ailing with injuries heading into Week 12’s matchup with (potentially?) Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers on Sunday.
The Bears also ruled out running backs Travis Homer (hamstring/knee) and Roschon Johnson (thumb) following November 21’s walkthrough. Both backs had popped up on the injury report this week with new injuries, each sitting out of the final two practices. Without them, Chicago has less depth behind D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
Additionally, the Bears listed four players as questionable: left tackle Theo Benedet (quad), strong safety Jaquan Brisker (shoulder) and cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson (groin) and Kyler Gordon (calf) — though, the latter two are still on injured reserve.
While the questionable designations for Johnson and Gordon are encouraging for their respective returns to the field, the Bears would need to activate them before 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 22, for them to become eligible to play against the Steelers.
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