Bears Lose Veteran WR to New Injury, 2 More in Doubt vs. Lions.

WR: New Injury Update, Doubt VS Lions Postponements

he Chicago Bears could be missing half of their receiving corps — including rookie Tyler Scott — for their rematch with the Detroit Lions in Week 14 after listing injury designations for three of their pass-catchers in the injury report.

The Bears have already ruled out veteran wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown with a pectoral injury after they added him to the injury report in the middle of the week. They are also still monitoring the statuses of fellow wideouts Scott (hamstring) and Velus Jones Jr. (illness), who are both listed as questionable to play against the Lions.

Scott, a 2023 fourth-round pick, would be a harder loss than Jones for the Bears. He stepped up and played the No. 3 receiver role during the four games St. Brown spent on injured reserve in October, catching five of his 12 targets for 42 yards during that span. Meanwhile, Jones has been a healthy scratch in two of the Bears’ last three games and played just a single offensive snap in their pre-bye week matchup with Minnesota.

If none of the three play, the Bears will be looking at a receiving corps consisting of two mainstay starters — D.J. Moore and Darnell Mooney — and punt returner Trent Taylor, who has caught zero passes on two targets during his first season in Chicago.

The Bears will also have third-year Collin Johnson available, having elevated him from the practice squad to the game-day roster on Saturday to provide more depth.

Collin Johnson Has 26 Games of Playing Experience
Johnson is not a name that fans have been clamoring to see promoted from the practice squad, but his addition to the rotation against the Lions in Week 14 could be valuable considering he has more playing experience than the average practice-squad receiver.

Johnson showed flashes of potential as a fifth-round pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. During his rookie season, he played in 14 games and caught 18 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. He also touted an ideal frame (6-foot-6, 222 pounds) to fill the “X” receiver role for a Jaguars offense that, at the time, needed big-bodied targets.

In a somewhat surprising move, though, the Jaguars dumped Johnson during final roster cuts in 2021 ahead of their first season with No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence under center. The Giants claimed him off the waivers the next day, but Johnson saw his role diminish in New York, catching just 11 passes for 105 yards in 12 games on the year and putting up roughly half of that production (five catches, 51 yards) in a single game.

Since then, Johnson has not played a single regular-season snap. A torn Achilles wiped out his entire 2022 season, and the Giants opted to move on during this past summer’s camp with enough options in their receiving room to feel comfortable. He could receive his next opportunity as soon as this Sunday, though, if the Bears are unable to clear either Scott or Jones of their ailments in time for kickoff against the Lions.

Bears Looking Mostly Healthy on Injury Report vs. Lions
The Bears could have injuries to overcome in their receiving room against the Lions, but the rest of their roster is looking (mostly) healthy coming out of the bye week.

The Bears did not have D’Onta Foreman (ankle/shin), Tyrique Stevenson (ankle), Noah Sewell (knee) or Larry Borom (illness) available in the last game before the bye week, but they cleared all four of them to return to action against the Lions in Week 14.

As a result, the only non-receiver with an injury designation for the matchup is veteran pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue. The Bears have listed Ngakoue as questionable with a knee injury that he picked up in the middle of the week. Encouragingly, though, he did practice in full on Friday after the team limited him with his knee on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Lions have three notable injuries on their report: rookie quarterback Hendon Hooker (knee) and veteran center Frank Ragnow (knee/back/toe) have been ruled out, while linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez is questionable with an ankle injury.