The Chicago Bears don’t sound too optimistic about starting linebacker T.J. Edwards playing against the New York Giants in Week 10’s home game.
After Edwards missed the first two practices of the week with hand and hamstring injuries, Bears head coach Ben Johnson revealed Friday that the 29-year-old recently underwent surgery to repair a hand fracture and will wear a cast when he plays.
Unfortunately, Johnson also disclosed that the hamstring injury that landed Edwards on the injury report this week is the same one that kept him out in three of the Bears’ first four games and could threaten his availability on Sunday more than his hand.
“He got surgery on that [hand], and the hand’s not going to hold him back,” Johnson told reporters before Friday’s practice. “That’s something I think we’ll be able to cast up and he’ll be OK. But between that and he had a hamstring as well, we’re working through both of those things to get him back.”
On the bright side, Johnson added that he does not believe Edwards will need to spend a stint on the injured reserve list due to his broken hand and ailing hamstring, but the Bears are still working to determine his status for Sunday’s game against the Giants.
The Bears (5-3) will face the Giants (2-7) at Soldier Field at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Will Bears Play Rookie More After T.J. Edwards’ Injury?
Johnson’s indication that Edwards will avoid IR is a positive sign that the Bears won’t have to spend much time without him in their lineup, but could the team start giving more snaps at linebacker to fourth-round rookie Ruben Hyppolite II in the interim?
The Bears seemed eager to get Hyppolite on the field for the defense during their first four games when Edwards was first dealing with his hamstring issue, but his defensive snap count fell sharply from eight in each of the first two games to just two in Week 3. Since then, he hasn’t played on defense and has been a healthy scratch in four straight.
In fairness to Hyppolite, Edwards returned to the Bears’ lineup after the bye in Week 6, allowing them to play Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds and Noah Sewell as their primary linebacker trio. Even still, the Bears turned to veteran backup D’Marco Jackson over the rookie Hyppolite when Sewell missed Week 7’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
Maybe the Bears simply believe Hyppolite needs to spend more time learning Dennis Allen’s defensive system before they feel good about playing him on game day, but it won’t reflect too well on the front office if he is inactive again at home in Week 10.
Bears Activate LB Amen Ogbongbemiga From IR List
While the Bears could decide to play Hyppolite more on Sunday against the Giants, they will have more linebacker depth on hand regardless with Amen Ogbongbemiga’s return.
The Bears officially activated Ogbongbemiga on Thursday from the injured reserve list, clearing space for him on the roster on the final day of his 21-day practice window and setting the stage for him to make his 2025 season debut against the Giants on Sunday.
Ogbongbemiga, a core special teams contributor, signed a two-year contract extension with the Bears in the offseason that ties him to the team through the 2026 season, but he suffered a shoulder injury in training camp that landed him on IR with a return designation during the team’s 53-man roster cutdown at the end of August.
The Bears could potentially consider Ogbongbemiga for more defensive snaps against the Giants with Edwards ailing, but he played just 15 total defensive snaps for them in 2024 despite playing 364 special teams snaps and appearing in all 17 games.
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