Keenan Allen and Montez Sweat, the two injured Pro Bowl players for the Chicago Bears, should be available to play against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.
Although head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters on Friday that the “outlook looks great” for both of their injured stars—Allen (heel) and Sweat (toe)—the Bears have officially listed both players as “questionable” to play in their 2024 season opener against the Titans on Sunday, September 8. This suggests that Allen and Sweat have a good chance of playing in Week 1.
Prior to their opening game of the 2024 regular season, the Bears limited practice time for Allen and Sweat on Wednesday and Thursday. However, in Friday’s final practice, both made a full recovery, which is positive for two players who are anticipated to have major roles for Chicago this season.
On their final injury report for Week 1, the Bears also listed defensive ends Darrell Taylor (foot) and DeMarcus Walker (groin) as questionable. Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens was also ruled out. Additionally, after limiting each player at various points during the week, they removed rookie offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie (quad), senior center Ryan Bates (shoulder), and running back Roschon Johnson (toe) from the injury list.
On September 8, the Bears and Titans will play from 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
Matt Eberflus Downplays Keenan Allen Concern
Before the first week of the new season begins, there has been some fictitious dispute regarding Allen’s health due to his inclusion on the injury report. In his piece “32 Thoughts Ahead of NFL Week 1,” Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report bemoaned about Allen’s health, while Gene Chamberlain of Sports Illustrated added fuel to the fire.
The truth is that the Bears, at least publicly, have shown very little to no anxiety regarding Allen’s availability to play for them in Sunday’s opening home game against the Titans.
Around the time of the 53-man roster cutdown, Allen missed several practices due to what general manager Ryan Poles called a “cleat issue” that resulted in “discomfort in his foot.” Despite making a comeback to the field during practice on September 2, he was still limited due to a heel injury until the Bears promoted him to a full participant for the last practice.
Fans may be concerned in the absence of further details, although Eberflus’ remarks during practice on Friday gave some indication of what was going on. He claimed that having witnessed Allen practice in full earlier in the day, he initially believed that Allen was no longer listed as injured. Subsequently, he reiterated that they won’t have to “manage” Allen’s injury going forward.
“That’s not what the training staff is saying,” Eberflus stated on Friday. “They’re simply stating that it’s an incident, and he’s just recovering and getting ready for the match.”
Can the Bears Outplay the Titans in Pass-Rushing Depth?
Before Sunday’s game, the Bears will be hoping for positive news regarding injuries, but if they don’t receive all the go-ahead, their defensive line may be in jeopardy.
Three of the Bears’ top four pass rushers—Walker, Sweat, and Taylor—are listed as injured. Taylor was acquired in a trade prior to the August 27 roster cut deadline. The Bears will have to rely heavily on youngster Austin Booker in case even one of them is unable to play, and their reserve ends even more against the Titans.
Although Booker displayed potential in the 2024 preseason, the Bears have made an effort to temper their expectations for him and maintain that he needs more development before they can consider him a “every-down end.” Chicago could get away with that strategy if all of their pass rushers are available, but they would probably have to give Booker a greater workload right immediately if they were forced to play without Taylor or Walker.
The Bears may also consider rotating in Daniel Hardy or Dominique Robinson, though they might not believe either player has a greater chance of succeeding than allowing Booker to get experience on the field.
