After navigating injuries all season, the Bears enter Sunday night’s Divisional Round matchup against the Rams closer to full strength than they’ve been in a while.
Health has been a battle for the Chicago Bears all season long.
Early in the year, it was key defensive starters being sidelined, testing Chicago’s depth at linebacker, cornerback, and edge rusher. As the season progressed, the defense slowly returned to health, but even players who made it back onto the field often looked less than 100 percent on Sundays.
Nagging injuries clearly prevented the Bears’ defense from operating at full strength for much of the year.
Late in the regular season, it was the offense that became thin. Wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III both missed time, while DJ Moore appeared to be managing a new injury almost every week. The lack of continuity significantly hindered Chicago’s passing game down the stretch.
Now, heading into a Divisional Round matchup against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field on Sunday night, the Bears are finally getting a much-needed boost of health.
That’s not to say the injury report is spotless. Left tackle Ozzy Trapilo suffered a knee injury that required surgery, ending his season and impacting his offseason. Linebacker T.J. Edwards fractured his fibula against the Packers, also sidelining him for the remainder of the year.
Theo Benedet and D’Marco Jackson are expected to step in against the Rams. But outside of those losses, the latest injury report represents a significant step in a positive direction for Chicago.
Defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson is set to return after missing the Green Bay game with a concussion. It will mark the second time all season that Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Gardner-Johnson, and Nahshon Wright have all been healthy at the same time.
Left tackle Braxton Jones has also been activated off injured reserve and could factor in if Benedet struggles early.
At wide receiver, DJ Moore was limited earlier in the week with a knee issue but does not carry an injury designation into Sunday’s game. He’s good to go.
Rome Odunze, who played through a foot injury against Green Bay, was limited in practice earlier in the week and remains listed as questionable. However, his full participation in Friday’s practice is an encouraging sign.
The Bears are expected to have all of their pass catchers available and their entire secondary intact. While the loss of Trapilo is significant, Benedet has started games and logged meaningful snaps this season, and head coach Ben Johnson remains confident in the group up front.
At this point in the year, that’s about as clean a bill of health as a playoff team can hope for.
As the Bears chase a trip to Super Bowl LX and continue what has been a magical season, it’s notable that they’ll be doing so with the majority of their key starters available. Injuries won’t be the reason Chicago comes up short — and there’s reason to believe that won’t be the case against the Rams.