The Bears were banged up as they prepared to prepare for the regular season finale versus the Packers. Tight end Cole Kmet, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, wide receiver Darnell Mooney, and long snapper Patrick Scales all missed Wednesday’s practice. DJ Moore was limited due to an ankle issue.Kmet hurt his knee in the second quarter of the Bears’ Week 16 victory over the Cardinals and played sparingly against the Falcons in Week 17. Kmet played 13 snaps and was not targeted in the passing game. Robert Tonyan took up some of the slack as a receiving tight end, finishing with a season-high three catches for 40 yards versus Atlanta. He may be called upon again if Kmet’s condition does not improve by Sunday.
Johnson left last week’s game early with a shoulder issue. It’s a disheartening situation for the great cornerback, who’s had a career year in the Bears secondary. With Johnson sidelined, newcomers C and Terell Smith will guard the perimeter. Each player has had ups and downs this year, as is typical for rookie cornerbacks, but Steveson is coming off his best performance of his young career. He allowed only two catches on six targets, knocking down one pass and intercepting two more. When targeting Stevenson, Falcons quarterbacks had a passing rating of only 9.7.
Head coach Matt Eberflus stated that Johnson and Kmet’s chances of playing against the Packers are “looking positive.”
Mooney remained in concussion protocol on Wednesday. It’s his tenth day in the protocol since self-reporting symptoms following the Bears’ Week 15 game against the Browns. Tyler Scott, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Trent Taylor all received increased playing time last week while Mooney was out injured. The team also promoted Collin Johnson from the practice squad, and he caught one ball for eleven yards.
Meanwhile, Moore dealt with an ankle issue on and off throughout the second part of the season. Given that he was still able to practise in a restricted capacity, his injury isn’t particularly alarming.
The Bears are confident that Scales will be able to play in Week 18, but as a precaution, they have signed Matt Overton to the practice squad. Overton has
