Tag: Bears COVID

Bears fans already looking forward to 2022 after Justin Fields lands on COVID reserve

Bears rookie QB Justin Fields landing on COVID reserve is a fitting end to what’s been an ugly season.

The Chicago Bears will likely be without rookie quarterback Justin Fields in Sunday’s finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

Fields, who was slated to start Sunday, was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday. Considering the timing, Fields’ season is likely over.

With Fields sidelined with COVID, Bears fans don’t have much to look forward to in Sunday’s finale. In many ways, it’s a fitting ending to what’s been a frustrating 2021 season.

But while it would’ve been nice to see Fields one last time before the end of the 2021 season, at least he won’t get injured in a meaningless game.

Here’s how Bears Twitter is reacting after Fields landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list:

Bears place QB Justin Fields on reserve/COVID-19 list

Bears QB Justin Fields’ rookie season is all but over after landing on COVID reserve.

Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields was slated to return to the starting lineup for Sunday’s finale against the Vikings. But it doesn’t seem like Fields is meant to play again this season.

The Bears have placed Fields on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday, almost certainly knocking him out of Sunday’s game.

While Fields is vaccinated, he would need to have two negative tests at least 24 hours apart in order to return to the lineup. Given the timing, there’s simply not enough time for him to return.

With that said, it looks like we’re in for one more game with Andy Dalton as the starter before he hits free agency this offseason.

Fields joins outside linebacker Charles Snowden (practice squad) on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

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Bears remove Jesper Horsted, Joel Iyiegbuniwe from reserve/COVID-19 list

The Bears officially have no players on the reserve/COVID-19 list!

The Chicago Bears are officially COVID-free!

Just three weeks ago, the Bears were ravaged by COVID-19, which left the team without their entire starting secondary and a slew of big contributors against the Vikings in Week 15.

At one point, there were 15 players and all three coordinators on COVID reserve.

Flash forward, and the Bears just removed tight end Jesper Horsted and linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe, their final two players, off the reserve/COVID-19 list and are now back to full strength.

While Horsted and Iyeigbuniwe haven’t been significant contributors, it gives them an opportunity to see some playing time in the season finale.

This move happens just as the Vikings, Chicago’s Week 18 opponent, added several players to COVID reserve on Monday.

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Bears remove DT Akiem Hicks from reserve/COVID-19 list

Akiem Hicks is back from COVID reserve and will get to play in what’s likely his last game at Soldier Field as part of the Bears.

The Chicago Bears are getting back a valuable defensive star ahead of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

The Bears have removed defensive tackle Akiem Hicks from the reserve/COVID-19 list, which makes him primed to make his return to the starting lineup against the Giants.

After returning to the starting lineup in Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings, he soon after landed on COVID reserve and missed last Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.

As Hicks appears to be playing in his final two games as a Bear, he’ll get a chance to play in front of Chicago faithful for one last time before he likely departs in free agency.

Hicks has been an integral part of the Bears defense since his arrival in 2016, and they’ve been a better team because of him.

Earlier during training camp, Hicks made it clear he’d like to return to the Bears next season and finish his career in Chicago. Unfortunately, due to his age and the salary he would command, it doesn’t look like it’s meant to be.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Hicks said after Week 15. “I just know that I’ve got games to play and if I do end up leaving, I’ll miss it here. I truly love my time.”

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Bear Necessities: Allen Robinson still doesn’t feel normal after dealing with ‘beast’ of COVID-19

Bears WR Allen Robinson was removed from COVID reserve Monday, but he admits he still doesn’t feel normal after batting COVID-19.

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Bears receiver Allen Robinson returned from the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, but he admitted that he’s still feeling the impact of the coronavirus even after a 10-day quarantine.

Robinson is vaccinated, but he says that he struggled with the virus, which caused him to lose 10 pounds. But while he’s off COVID reserve, that doesn’t guarantee he’ll play Sunday against the Giants. Robinson said he still needs to test his conditioning before Sunday.

‘‘Now it’s just trying to figure out where my lungs are at as far as conditioning-wise and stuff like that,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s just about, from a physical standpoint, getting back, seeing where I’m at condition-wise. I mean running. . . .

‘‘It was a beast. Just trying to . . . stack days on top of each other and continue to improve. But getting back into the groove of things hasn’t been easy. It’s not going to be easy, but [I’m] just trying to continue to find a way.’’

Robinson, who doesn’t get sick often, described his symptoms as a fever, scratchy throat, chest congestion and a stuffy nose. But he didn’t lose his sense of taste or smell.

‘‘All of that is going to be tough for anybody, especially having to get yourself back ready to play a game,’’ Robinson said. ‘‘Losing weight and things like that, it’s all factors in it. Again, I’m getting better, I feel better, so now it’s just kind of trying to stack these days on top of each other.’’

We’ll see if Robinson feels well enough to play in what would be his final home game as a Bear.

Bears remove DT Bilal Nichols from reserve/COVID-19 list

Some good news on the COVID front for the Bears as DT Bilal Nichols was removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, where Chicago is looking to find their way back into the win column. And luckily for the Bears, they’re starting to get back some key players from COVID reserve.

The Bears removed defensive tackle Bilal Nichols from the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Friday, which is good news considering defensive tackle Akiem Hicks landed on the list on Thursday and most likely won’t be able to play Sunday.

Since the Bears’ COVID-19 outbreak last week, they’ve gotten back Nichols, offensive tackle Larry Borom, safety Eddie Jackson, nose tackle Eddie Goldman, cornerbacks Duke Shelley and Artie Burns, and defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

But there are still a handful of players that remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including receiver Allen Robinson, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, safety Tashaun Gipson and Hicks.

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Bears place DT Akiem Hicks on reserve/COVID-19 list

Just as Bears DT Akiem Hicks battled his way back from an ankle injury, he’s now landed on COVID reserve.

The Chicago Bears continue to deal with COVID-19, which has sidelined a good number of players and even all three coordinators at one point.

While there’s been some good news with players starting to return this week, the Bears suffered a brutal blow as defensive tackle Akiem Hicks landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Hicks, who appears to be playing in his final games in Chicago, returned to the lineup Monday night against the Vikings after missing the previous four games with an ankle injury. Hicks’ return was felt on the Bears defense, where he was an absolute force with five tackles, including two for a loss, two sacks and three quarterback hits.

Now, Hicks finds himself sidelined again just as he battled back.

The Bears now have 10 players and one coach (offensive coordinator Bill Lazor) on COVID reserve. Among those players are wide receiver Allen Robinson, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, defensive tackle Bilal Nichols and safety Tashaun Gipson.

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Bears activate Larry Borom, Eddie Jackson from COVID reserve

There’s some good news on the COVID front as the Bears activated rookie OT Larry Borom and S Eddie Jackson off the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Chicago Bears are one of several teams that have been hit hard by COVID-19 over the last couple of weeks, where they had 17 players and coaches on the reserve/COVID-19 list at one point last week.

Now, there’s some good news on the COVID front as the Bears have activated rookie offensive tackle Larry Borom, safety Eddie Jackson and outside linebacker Sam Kamara (practice squad) from COVID reserve on Wednesday.

That’s good news for Chicago’s offensive line, which will have rookies Teven Jenkins and Borom in place, as well as for the secondary, which gets back a starter in Jackson.

But the Bears aren’t without new cases as tight end Jesper Horsted, who scored his second touchdown of the season Monday night, was placed on the COVID list on Wednesday.

Since the Bears’ COVID-19 outbreak last week, they’ve gotten back Borom, Jackson, nose tackle Eddie Goldman, cornerbacks Duke Shelley and Artie Burns, and defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

But there are still a handful of players that remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including receiver Allen Robinson, quarterback Andy Dalton, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, safety Tashaun Gipson, defensive end Mario Edwards and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols.

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Bears announce roster moves heading into Week 16

The Bears have signed Thomas Graham Jr. to the active roster, placed Bilal Nichols on COVID reserve and activated 2 players off the list.

The Chicago Bears (4-10) are coming off a frustrating loss to the Minnesota Vikings (7-7) on Monday Night Football, which eliminated Chicago from postseason contention.

Now, their attention shifts to Week 16, where they’ll battle the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. But before that, the Bears announced some roster moves, including the signing of rookie cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. to the active roster.

Here’s a look at the roster moves the Bears made on Tuesday ahead of Week 16 against the Seahawks, including movement on the COVID-19 front.

Bears CB Duke Shelley will be activated from COVID-19 list

Bears CB Duke Shelley will return from COVID-19 protocol, and there aren’t any additional changes from the COVID list expected on Tuesday.

The Chicago Bears are among the teams that have been hit hard by COVID-19 last week, where there were 17 players and coordinators on COVID reserve at one point last week.

Defensive coordinator Sean Desai cleared COVID-19 protocols before Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. Now, the Bears are getting back a defensive back after their secondary was depleted in Week 15.

On Tuesday, Bears head coach Matt Nagy said cornerback Duke Shelley will return from COVID-19 protocol. But there aren’t any additional changes from the COVID list expected on Tuesday.

The Bears now have 13 players still on the COVID list, including wide receiver Allen Robinson, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, safety Eddie Jackson, offensive tackle Larry Borom and safety Tashaun Gipson.

There’s a good chance Chicago will get a good chunk of players back from COVID reserve for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. We’ll see how this week unfolds and whether there are any additions.

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