Tag: doug kramer

Bears C Lucas Patrick now questionable for Sunday’s game vs. Chargers

The Bears center is dealing with a lower back injury that could keep him out of Sunday night’s game.

The Chicago Bears could be without their starting center for their prime-time matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night. The team announced center Lucas Patrick is now questionable for the game with a lower back injury. Patrick was not on any injury report this week, meaning it’s something that popped up within the last day.

Patrick started the season at center but has moved in and out of the lineup in recent weeks. He made his return to the position last week in the Bears’ 30-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

If Patrick is unable to play, the Bears would have a decision to make. They could move left guard Cody Whitehair back to center, where he struggled with inconsistent snaps the last time he lined up there a few weeks ago. The Bears could also turn to second-year center Doug Kramer, who played in his first NFL game last week after injuries have kept him sidelined for the last year and a half. Or veteran Dan Feeney could be an option if he’s able to play. Feeney, who is dealing with a knee injury, is also listed as questionable.

Patrick’s status will be determined later in the day, but regardless, the news is not ideal for the Bears and rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent, who will make his second career start.

Bears activate C Doug Kramer off IR, elevate CB Joejuan Williams to the roster

For the first time since he was drafted, Doug Kramer has a chance to suit up in a regular-season game for his hometown team.

Chicago Bears center Doug Kramer Jr. will finally be ready to play in a regular-season game for his hometown team. On Saturday, the Bears announced they had activated Kramer off injured reserve, where he spent the first six weeks of the season dealing with a thumb injury. The Bears also elevated cornerback Joejuan Williams to the active roster for their game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Kramer suffered a thumb injury in the team’s final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. He was designated to return to practice nearly two weeks ago but had yet to be activated on the roster until Saturday. Now that he’s back in the fold, the Bears have a plethora of centers on their roster, including Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, Dan Feeney, and now Kramer.

The Bears are expected to adjust their starting offensive line for their game against the Raiders, and while it’s unlikely Kramer will become the starting center anytime soon, he’s now an added piece for them to consider if issues at the position persist. Kramer, a native of Hinsdale, IL, was a sixth-round draft pick in 2022 out of Illinois and missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury.

Williams, meanwhile, has played in one game for the Bears since he was signed back in September. With a few members of the secondary either out or questionable, Williams provides depth if they need it.

Bears announce several roster moves, including Kyler Gordon designated to return from IR

The Bears designated CB Kyler Gordon and C Doug Kramer to return from IR and officially signed RB Darrynton Evans to the active roster.

The long weekend for the Chicago Bears has come and gone, and now it’s back to business as usual, which includes a flurry of roster moves as they prepare for a Week 6 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. On Monday, the Bears announced they signed running back Darrynton Evans to the active roster as well as quarterback Nathan Peterman to the practice squad. The Bears are also welcoming back a few players from injury, as they designated cornerback Kyler Gordon and center Doug Kramer to return from injured reserve.

Evans spent the 2022 season with the Bears, primarily on their practice squad. He played in six games, rushing 14 times for 64 yards. He bounced around the league during the 2023 offseason, most notably with the Buffalo Bills, where he made a statement against the Bears in the final preseason game with nine carries for 65 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown. Evans was most recently on the Miami Dolphins practice squad before coming to the Bears.

The signing of Evans is in response to the ankle injury running back Khalil Herbert suffered during last Thursday’s 40-20 win against the Washington Commanders. Herbert is expected to miss multiple weeks with the injury.

While the Bears are preparing to be without Herbert for the next few weeks, they could be getting a key player back in the fold. Gordon is set to return to practice this week after spending the last four weeks on injured reserve. He suffered a broken hand in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Gordon had one tackle and one pass defensed before exiting the game.

Kramer, meanwhile, is also returning to practice after missing the first five weeks of the season. The second-year center was injured in the team’s final preseason game and has yet to play in a regular-season game. Both players will need to be activated within 21 days, or they will revert back to injured reserve.

Bears sign QB Nathan Peterman, WR Trent Taylor to active roster

The Bears signed Nathan Peterman and Trent Taylor to the active roster while placing Teven Jenkins and Doug Kramer on IR.

It’s been a busy week for the Chicago Bears, whose roster has already changed a few times since Tuesday’s roster cut deadline. That includes a few roster moves that just became official.

The Bears signed quarterback Nathan Peterman and wide receiver Trent Taylor to the active roster. They also placed left guard Teven Jenkins and center Doug Kramer on injured reserve.

Both Jenkins and Kramer will miss the first four games of the season and are eligible to return in Week 5, when Chicago faces the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football.

Peterman’s signing was something general manager Ryan Poles alluded to during his Wednesday press conference with assistant GM Ian Cunningham. Peterman will serve as a veteran presence in a quarterback room featuring third-year starter Justin Fields and undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent.

Poles stopped short of naming Bagent the backup quarterback, as they sorted out the QB room. And with Peterman now on the active roster, there will be questions about who will serve as Fields’ backup in the Week 1 opener against the Green Bay Packers.

Taylor, who was recently cut from the Bengals, was brought in to serve as the punt returner. Poles clarified as much during his press conference. With Taylor serving as the punt returner, Velus Jones Jr. will be the kickoff returner.

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10 Bears players to watch on Saturday vs. Colts

Here are 10 Bears players to keep an eye on when they take on the Indianapolis Colts this weekend.

Preseason game No. 2 is on deck for the Chicago Bears this weekend as they prepare to take on the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. This week’s squad will look a bit different than the one that took down the Tennessee Titans 23-17 last weekend, however.

According to head coach Matt Eberflus, quarterback Justin Fields and a few other select starters will not suit up,  The Bears coaching staff believes Fields and others put in plenty of work this week when they held two joint practices with the Colts at their facilities in Westfield, IN.

Even with some of the starters out, there are still many intriguing players worth watching as the Bears look to solidify their team. Many backups and reserves will receive more playing time as a result of Eberflus’ decision, which will help determine the back half of the roster as the regular season inches closer.

Here are 10 players we’ll be watching when the Bears and Colts kick off on Saturday evening at 6 pm CT.

Bears C Cody Whitehair suffers apparent hand injury at camp practice

The Bears center appears to be done practicing for the day.

It looks like the Chicago Bears will be without their starting center for the final joint training camp practice with the Indianapolis Colts. Shortly after the two teams began drills on Thursday, center Cody Whitehair left the field with trainers with an apparent hand injury via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. The injury appears to be on his right hand, the one he uses to snap the ball.

Shortly after leaving the field, Adam Jahns of The Athletic spotted Whitehair back on the sidelines, but believes the veteran’s day is done. With Lucas Patrick still not practicing, second-year center Doug Kramer is filling in on the first-team offensive line.

With Whitehair out, Kramer will likely get the remaining practice reps with the first-team offense. Kramer was selected by the Bears in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft but missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury.

The center position has been under the microscope over the last year. After moving on from Sam Mustipher, the Bears opted to shift Whitehair back to center this offseason. The longest-tenured Bear has spent the last few seasons at guard, but is working to develop a rapport with quarterback Justin Fields this spring and summer ahead of his eighth season in the league.

It’s unclear if Whitehair will need to miss time with this injury but he could miss the team’s next preseason game against the Colts this Saturday at 6 pm CT. Stay tuned to Bears Wire as more information becomes available.

Here’s how impressive the Bears offensive line was against the Titans

The Bears played a great game against the Titans on Saturday, and the offensive line was graded as one of the best by PFF.

The Chicago Bears generally played well on Saturday against the Tennessee Titans, with many of the stars putting their best foot forward in their first live-action game of 2023.

Bears such as quarterback Justin Fields, receiver DJ Moore, running back Khalil Herbert and cornerback Kyler Gordon all impressed in their limited snaps. But the real treat was the strong showing of the positions many considered to be weaknesses, providing an extremely pleasant surprise for the fans.

The designated weak points of the team are considered both the offensive and defensive lines, extremely important positions that can prohibit the Bears from making a big leap in play this year. The guys in those spots, however, proved that they weren’t going to be written off so easily on Saturday.

The defensive line was the star of the show, as players like rookie defensive tackle Zacch Pickens and defensive ends Trevis Gipson and Terrell Lewis became a force that the Titans couldn’t contain. Conversely, the Bears’ offensive line was able to hold their own for most of the game, being a big reason why Moore and Herbert were able to score long catch-and-run touchdowns.

Evaluating the offensive line can be a tough task, considering they aren’t the focal point of any play and they don’t have a category of stats that you can look up following a game.

Pro Football Focus recognized the Bears as having the highest pass blocking grade in the first week of preseason (87.1). They also had the second-highest run blocking grade (88.3).

The Bears’ O-line as a whole allowed only three QB pressures, the second fewest of all NFL teams in preseason Week 1, trailing only the Las Vegas Raiders. Offensive linemen Alex Leatherwood (86.4), Ja’Tyre Carter (85.7), Larry Borom (83.5), and Doug Kramer (82.5) led the way for Chicago.

As for those three QB pressures, Borom allowed one while Aviante Collins allowed two pressures.

It’s encouraging that what was widely considered the most suspect aspect of the team had such a strong showing. The play of the offensive line should only get better too, as starting right guard Nate Davis returned to practice Monday.

Things are starting to come together for the Bears.

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5 bold predictions heading into Bears training camp

A winner in the running back battle and a contract extension highlight our Bears bold predictions heading into training camp.

Chicago Bears training camp 2023 is finally upon us as players begin reporting to Halas Hall this week. It’s the last stretch of the offseason before the regular season begins and while many areas of the team are solidified, a lot can happen between now and early September.

Surprise players will emerge as difference makers, position battles will take center stage, and some fan favorites will say goodbye when the preseason wraps up. You never know what might happen when practices finally get underway.

Here are our bold predictions going into training camp 2023.

5 under-the-radar Bears players to watch on offense at training camp

Ahead of Bears training camp, we’re taking a look at some under-the-radar names to watch on offense.

The Chicago Bears kick off training camp in just a couple of weeks, where there’s plenty to keep an eye on at Halas Hall.

We all know the popular names fans will be watching, including quarterback Justin Fields, receiver DJ Moore, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, as well as rookies Darnell Wright, Gervon Dexter Sr., Tyrique Stevenson and Roschon Johnson. But there are also a handful of underrated players who beat watching when Chicago kicks off camp.

Ahead of Bears training camp, we’re taking a look at some under-the-radar names to watch on offense.

Bears 2023 training camp preview: Offensive line

Our next Bears position preview is the offensive line, a group that will look very different than it did in 2022.

Chicago Bears training camp is less than a month away, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

We’re unveiling our Bears 2023 training camp position previews, where we’re breaking down every player by position and examining the biggest question facing the group.

Rounding out the offensive side of the ball is the offensive line, a group that only has one projected starter playing the same position they played in 2022. Braxton Jones is back at left tackle but the rest of the line has done more shuffling than the 1985 Bears.

Teven Jenkins and Cody Whitehair were both prominent starters in 2022 who are now playing new positions, while newcomers Nate Davis and Darnell Wright were added to anchor the right side of the line. Meanwhile, players like Lucas Patrick and Larry Borom are now backups after entering last year’s camp as starters.

Here’s a closer look at the Bears’ offensive line heading into training camp.