The Chicago Bears could possibly have another one of their injured rookies back in the lineup against the San Francisco 49ers after their latest roster moves.
According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Bears officially designated sixth-round rookie guard Luke Newman for return from injured reserve and opened his 21-day practice window on Tuesday, December 23, ahead of the week’s first practice.
Newman has been stuck on injured reserve with a foot injury since November 27, but the Bears designated him for return at the earliest possible window, which bodes well for him potentially rejoining the 53-man roster before the end of the regular season.
The Bears would need to activate Newman by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 27, to have him available against the 49ers. But with an NFL playoff bid already clinched, they may instead prefer to give him most of his 21 days and preserve him for the postseason.
The Bears (11-4) can clinch the NFC North title for the first time since 2018 if they beat the 49ers (11-4) on Sunday Night Football in Week 17 at 8:20 p.m. ET on December 28.
Luke Newman’s Return Would Further Fortify Bears’ OL
Newman won’t jump into a significant role once he returns from IR. The Bears have two excellent starting guards in Joe Thuney — a 2025 Pro Bowler — and Jonah Jackson, and Newman is only the understudy. Even still, his return would only help for the playoffs.
While Newman has played roughly two-thirds of his 72 rookie snaps on special teams, the Bears called upon him over veteran Ryan Bates as the backup when Jackson went down with an injury against Pittsburgh in Week 12, signaling he is the preferred No. 2.
So long as nothing has changed during his time away with injury, Newman should slide right back into his primary backup role when the Bears recall him to the 53-man roster.
The Bears also have Bates and Jordan McFadden — whom they signed from the practice squad when Newman went on IR — available as backup guards, but they might waive McFadden and re-sign him to the practice squad whenever they activate Newman.
Will Rookie Luther Burden III Also Return Against 49ers?
The Bears will have one of their injured rookies back when Newman rejoins them at practice on Christmas Eve, but the jury is still out on Luther Burden III’s availability.
Burden suffered an ankle injury in Week 15’s win over the Cleveland Browns and has not practiced or played since then. While Bears head coach Ben Johnson could offer an update on Burden when he speaks with reporters before December 24’s practice, it is far more likely that the next update on Burden will come with the first injury report.
Burden will have three practices over the next three days to continue working through his ankle injury before the Bears must decide whether he place an injury designation on him for Week 17’s matchup with the 49ers. If he returns in some capacity, Chicago may list him as questionable and give him up until Sunday night’s kickoff to pass the checks.
The status of fellow wide receiver Rome Odunze (foot) also bears monitoring when the team releases its first injury report in the afternoon on Christmas Eve.
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