The Chicago Bears have another wide receiver injury to monitor as they begin the week of practice for Week 5’s home game against the Carolina Panthers.
Bears wide receiver DeAndre Carter did not participate in October 2’s first practice for the Panthers due to a rib injury. The 31-year-old has seven catches for 60 yards through the first four games and has served as Chicago’s primary returner on punts and kickoffs.
While it is not clear when Carter sustained his injury, the Bears will need to figure out backup plans at multiple positions if they cannot clear him to play against the Panthers. Replacing Carter’s contributions at wide receiver should be easy enough if D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze are healthy for Week 5, but Chicago could have more difficulty finding an adequate replacement for him on punt and kickoff returns.
The Bears also held out left guard Teven Jenkins from practice with a rib injury that sidelined him in the second quarter of Week 4’s win over the Los Angeles Rams. Head coach Matt Eberflus said earlier in the week that Jenkins is dealing with “a bruised rib” and classified him as “day-to-day” with his injury, putting his Week 5 status in question.
The Bears (2-2) will host former Chicago quarterback Andy Dalton and the Panthers (1-3) at Soldier Field at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, October 6.
Could Bears Turn Back to Velus Jones Jr. as Returner?
Carter has two more practices on Thursday and Friday to work through his rib injury. If the Bears are satisfied he isn’t at risk of worsening the injury and that his pain tolerance is not an issue, they could clear him to play without missing a beat against the Panthers.
If the Bears must turn to one of their contingency plans instead, though, Velus Jones Jr. could get his second — and potentially final — chance to make things work in Chicago.
Jones — a 2022 third-round pick — came into the new season with hype from the Bears after he informally swapped from wide receiver to running back during the preseason. The Bears already believed in Jones’ ability to serve as their primary kick returner after how he performed in the role over his first two years (averaging 27.4 yards per return), but it helped his roster case that he could add an extra wrinkle to their new offense.
Things didn’t take long to derail for Jones, though. He muffed his first kick return of the season in Week 1, allowing the Tennessee Titans to take over at the Bears’ 23-yard line. The Bears promptly benched him from kick returns and replaced him with Carter, who has yet to relinquish the role. Carter has since averaged 34 yards on five kick returns for the Bears while Jones has been a healthy scratch in three consecutive games.
If Carter cannot play, the Bears could tab Jones with an opportunity to redeem himself against the Panthers; though, it will say a lot about his future in Chicago if they decide to go with another option, such as running back Khalil Herbert and receiver Tyler Scott.
Bears Also Add Cole Kmet to Injury Report vs. Panthers
The Bears are looking much healthier on their injury report heading into the fifth week of the 2024 regular season. After listing a season-high 14 players on their Week 4 injury report — and putting game-day designations on six of them — the Bears are now down to just six total players on their injury report as they prepare for the Panthers matchup.
Unfortunately for them, three of the six names on the injury report are new additions. Jenkins and Carter are both dealing with rib injuries, while starting tight end Cole Kmet is dealing with a knee injury that forced the Bears to limit him in Wednesday’s practice.
With two practices left in the week, Kmet’s injury is not yet worrisome; although, that would change if the Bears downgraded him to a non-participant on either Thursday or Friday. The Bears are shorthanded at tight end after putting Stephen Carlson on injured reserve ahead of Week 4’s game. Gerald Everett and Marcedes Lewis are the only other tight ends on the active roster, while Teagan Quitoriano is a practice-squad option.
Additionally, the Bears held out defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin) and cornerback Terell Smith (hip) with injuries that have sidelined each of them for more than a week. They also limited star pass rusher Montez Sweat — who spent the past two weeks on the injury report nursing an elbow issue — with a new ankle injury in Wednesday’s practice.
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