Running back Travis Homer will be sidelined by the Chicago Bears for the minimum of the next four games of the 2024 campaign due to a finger injury sustained during a recent practice.
One day after head coach Matt Eberflus announced the move, on September 21, the Bears formally placed Homer on the injured reserve list. He cannot be added back to the 53-man roster until at least Week 7, during Chicago’s bye week.
During the first two games, Homer was the running back in the Bears’ rotation with the second-most snaps (31). Despite this, he only managed three rushes for 16 yards. In addition, he participated in over 70% of their special teams plays and had one tackle in the first game of the season in Week 1.
It shouldn’t be too difficult for the Bears to fill Homer’s offensive role. Khalil Herbert has only seen 12 offensive plays in 2024, but in his first three years, he has run for 1,775 yards and scored one of the Bears’ few offensive touchdowns of the year. He is more than capable of filling D’Andre Swift’s backup position going ahead.
Roschon Johnson, a fourth-round pick in 2023, might also begin playing for the Bears. Despite his impressive rookie season of 352 yards gained on the ground and 34 receptions for 209 yards last year, the Bears have not given him a carry in their first two games. In Week 1, they even benched him in favor of Velus Jones Jr., who replaced him in Week 2.
On Sunday, September 22, the Bears (1-1) and the Indianapolis Colts (0-2) will square off at Lucas Oil Stadium at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
Bears and the Colts need to work hard to start the run game.
Without Homer available, the Bears will need to figure out how to allocate snaps, but getting any sort of run game going will be their biggest challenge in Week 3.
After two weeks of the 2024 season, the Bears have the fifth-fewest running yards (155) in the NFL. Their $24 million free agency acquisition, Swift, is only averaging a pitiful 2.0 yards per rush, with one monster 20-yard run. Caleb Williams, the rookie quarterback, leads the team in rush yards with 59, much of which he has gained while escaping the collapse of the Bears offensive line.
The Bears’ incapacity to run the ball has also made them overly dependent on Williams and their nascent passing attack. Through the first two games, Williams has attempted 66 throws, which is significantly more than what is optimal for a rookie who is still getting used to NFL speed. Swift and the other rushers will need to step up against the Colts in order to support their new franchise quarterback. They need to strike a tighter balance.
Bears Additionally Ascend Johnson and Cowart, Collin
To strengthen their respective positions for the Bears’ matchup with the Colts in Week 3, the team also made two more roster moves on Saturday: wide receiver Collin Johnson and defensive tackle Byron Cowart were promoted from the practice squad to the gameday roster.
The Bears lack depth at both defensive tackle and receiver because to injuries. Due to a groin injury he suffered in the fourth quarter of the Week 2 defeat to the Houston Texans, 2023 third-round pick Zacch Pickens is out for the second straight week. Keenan Allen will also miss the game for personal reasons.
Bears Supposedly Considering Another Offense Line Switch
After 37 games as head coach, Matt Eberflus may be facing his 19th starting lineup change for the Bears offensive line.
The Chicago Bears take on the Indianapolis Colts at noon today, and Matt Pryor will start at right guard instead of Nate Davis, according to a report by Brad Biggs of the Tribune. According to the injury report, Davis is officially categorized as questionable for the game.
For the first two games, the Bears started with the same lineup. Due to a groin issue, Davis was only able to participate in parts of each session this past week. Although he had occasionally had discomfort from a “soft tissue” ailment during training camp, he wasn’t listed on the injury report before to the Texans game last week.
“Nate Davis was limited in practice today after re-aggravating his groin injury, which he slightly tweaked on Wednesday,” said coach Matt Eberflus. “He was able to participate a bit today, but we’ll have to wait and see how things stand by game time.”
Pryor has practiced extensively with the starters during the offseason when Davis was dealing with his injury, and also during parts of training camp. He even stepped in at tackle. At 6-foot-7 and 332 pounds, Pryor is the team’s largest offensive lineman.
Yesterday,#Bears coach Matt Eberflus alluded to the possibility Matt Pryor plays on Sunday at Indianapolis.
"Super excited for him, if he's working in there with Nate (Davis) or whatever that might be."
From what I am hearing, Pryor is expected to start at right guard.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) September 21, 2024
“He’s definitely a big guy,” Eberflus said. “He takes up a lot of space, but he’s really made great strides. He’s one of our most improved linemen, and he’s been playing consistently.”
“We’ve seen significant growth in him—his work ethic, his energy, and his contribution as a teammate. We’re really excited for him, whether he’s working alongside Nate or in another role. We’ll see how things shape up closer to the game, but he’s had a strong week of practice.”
Matt Pryor allowed 4 sacks yesterday.
He has now allowed 6 sacks in 2 games as starting RT.#Eagles pic.twitter.com/5vB1tbTxPV
— Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) December 21, 2020
When Eberflus mentioned “working in,” he was alluding to the first-week situation in which the Bears started Ryan Bates and Davis at right guard but ultimately switched to Bates for over twice as many snaps as Davis (38–18). Bates was forced to place himself on injured reserve due to ailments to his elbow and shoulder.
As a second-year guard for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020, Pryor barely started more than half of his team’s games. He is currently in his seventh season.
