LAKE FOREST, Ill. — A struggling Bears’ defense will be without two of their starters as they look to crack into the win column on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
Both are in the secondary, which has been hit hard by injuries early in the 2023 season.
Per the Bears’ injury report, cornerback Jaylon Johnson (Hamstring) and Eddie Jackson (Foot) will be out of the contest against the Broncos at Noon on Sunday.
Johnson was injured against the Chiefs and missed all three practices this week as he’ll miss his first game of the season. Jackson, meanwhile, will be out for a second-straight game after he injured his foot in a Week 2 loss to the Buccaneers.
On top of that, cornerback Josh Blackwell, who is a primary backup at that position, will be out Sunday after missing all three practices this week with a hamstring injury. He missed the Week 2 game in Tampa with a hamstring injury but was able to play against the Chiefs, registering two tackles in the 41-10 loss.
This comes as another one of the team’s starting cornerbacks, Kyler Gordon, remains on IR with a hand injury. He won’t be eligible to return until Week 6 when the Bears host the Vikings at Soldier Field.
These losses in the secondary only hurt a defense that is currently 31st in points (35.2) and yards (407.3) allowed per game. Elijah Hicks figure to fill in for Jackson, just as he did in Kansas City in Week 3, while rookie Tyrique Stevenson will continue to start at cornerback with Jaylon Jones & Terell Smith likely to split time filling in as well.
