Justin Fields threw a football for the first time since dislocating his thumb against the Vikings in Week 6 and managed to practice in a limited capacity on Friday. He’s officially doubtful to play against the Saints this Sunday and it seems highly likely that Tyson Bagent starts his third game in a row.
That was easily the biggest news out of Halas Hall on Friday, but there were other big developments that will affect how the Bears take the field when they head to the Superdome.
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Middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is officially out after suffering a scary-looking knee injury last week. At the time it looked like Edmunds may have suffered a serious injury, but it appears he’s avoided a major problem.
“It’s week to week,” said head coach Matt Eberflus. “We’ll see where it goes with the short week (due to next week’s Thursday Night Football game), though. We’ll see where it is, but it’s certainly week to week, and he’s getting better every day.”
Jack Sanborn will take over at middle linebacker while Edmunds is sidelined.
Other players who are out include Jaquan Brisker (concussion), Nate Davis (ankle), and Terell Smith (mononucleosis). The only player who had a shot of returning this week was Brisker, if he managed to clear the concussion protocol.
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The Bears are getting Eddie Jackson back this week. The free safety hasn’t played since injuring his foot in Week 2, but was available to play in case of emergency last week. This week he’ll be back in the starting lineup.
Finally, Braxton Jones remains in the 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve. Jones also hasn’t played since Week 2 due to a neck injury. The Bears still have a week and a half to move Jones to the active roster. If they don’t, they’ll have to shut him down for the remainder of the year, but there’s been no indication that is a concern. Larry Borom has played left tackle in the interim.