Tag: Jason Spriggs

Bears place OL Lachavious Simmons on reserve/COVID-19 list, promote Aaron Neary to active roster

The Chicago Bears continue to suffer blows to their offensive line ahead of an important Week 9 match-up against the Tennessee Titans.

The Chicago Bears continue to suffer blows to their offensive line ahead of an important Week 9 match-up against the Tennessee Titans.

After four players were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week, rookie offensive lineman Lachavious Simmons was the latest to land on the list on Sunday morning. Simmons has been ruled out fir the Titans game, and the Bears have activated offensive lineman Aaron Neary from the practice squad in his place.

Simmons joins three other players currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including center Cody Whitehair, reserve tackle Jason Spriggs and safety Deon Bush.

Whitehair and Spriggs both tested positive for the virus this week, and Germain Ifedi was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week after being deemed a close contact. Ifedi has since tested negative for the virus and is expected to play against the Titans.

Bears S Deon Bush placed on reserve/COVID-19 list, ruled out vs. Titans

Bears S Deon Bush joins Cody Whitehair and Jason Spriggs on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and he will not play Sunday vs. Titans.

The Chicago Bears have another player that has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of their Week 9 game against the Tennessee Titans.

Safety Deon Bush was placed on the reserve/COVID list late Saturday night, and he has since been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Titans.

Bush joins center Cody Whitehair, right guard Germain Ifedi and reserve tackle Jason Spriggs as players placed on the reserve/COVID list this week. Both Whitehair and Spriggs tested positive for the virus.

Ifedi was deemed a close contact of Spriggs’. Ifedi has since tested negative for the virus and activated from the reserve/COVID list, and he’s expected to start against Tennessee.

With Bush being out, the Bears are down to Eddie Jackson, Tashaun Gipson, DeAndre Houston-Carson and Sherrick McManis at safety.

Bears activate RG Germain Ifedi from reserve/COVID-19 list

The Bears offensive line won’t be as decimated as previously thought as Germain Ifedi is cleared to play Sunday vs. Titans.

The Chicago Bears offensive line won’t be as decimated as previously thought. The team announced on Friday that guard Germain Ifedi has been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Ifedi was placed on the list Tuesday following tackle Jason Spriggs’ positive test result. He was considered a close contact to Spriggs and needed to quarantine, despite testing negative for the virus. The veteran offensive lineman has started every game for the Bears this season at right guard after signing a one-year deal in the offseason.

With Ifedi returning to the team, the Bears will likely only be missing three of their five starters on the offensive line instead of four. Right tackle Bobby Massie was placed on injured reserve this week due to a knee injury and center Cody Whitehair will likely miss another game due to a calf injury and possibly COVID-19 as he reportedly tested positive on Thursday. Spriggs is also out due to his positive test.

The Bears travel to Nashville this weekend to take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon.

Bears activate RG Germain Ifedi from reserve/COVID-19 list

The Bears offensive line won’t be as decimated as previously thought as Germain Ifedi is cleared to play Sunday vs. Titans.

The Chicago Bears offensive line won’t be as decimated as previously thought. The team announced on Friday that guard Germain Ifedi has been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Ifedi was placed on the list Tuesday following tackle Jason Spriggs’ positive test result. He was considered a close contact to Spriggs and needed to quarantine, despite testing negative for the virus. The veteran offensive lineman has started every game for the Bears this season at right guard after signing a one-year deal in the offseason.

With Ifedi returning to the team, the Bears will likely only be missing three of their five starters on the offensive line instead of four. Right tackle Bobby Massie was placed on injured reserve this week due to a knee injury and center Cody Whitehair will likely miss another game due to a calf injury and possibly COVID-19 as he reportedly tested positive on Thursday. Spriggs is also out due to his positive test.

The Bears travel to Nashville this weekend to take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon.

Bears cleared to return to practice Friday following COVID-19 shutdown

The Bears announced Thursday night that they had been cleared to resume football activities continuing under the NFL’s intensive protocol.

It’s been a whirlwind of a day for the Chicago Bears, who suffered a COVID-19 scare that forced them to shutdown Halas Hall on Thursday.

After reserve offensive tackle Jason Spriggs tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, which also forced right guard Germain Ifedi to the reserve/COVID-19 list as a close contact, there was word that another offensive lineman had tested positive for the virus.

While there have been no confirmations from the Bears organization, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that center Cody Whitehair tested positive for COVID-19, which prompted the Bears to shut down Halas Hall and conduct team meetings virtually.

The Bears announced Thursday night that they had been cleared to resume football activities continuing under the NFL’s intensive protocol.

Everything happened pretty quickly on Thursday, as defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano was interrupted during his virtual press conference with media and told to end the call abruptly.

Head coach Matt Nagy did meet with the media following the rollercoaster of a day for the Bears, where Nagy told reporters they were waiting for confirmation on the positive COVID test and contact tracing process.

“There’s a process to it and that’s kind of where [the NFL is] at right now,” Nagy said at the time. “We just wanted to let them do that, and while they’re doing that, we wanted to make sure that, hey, with that being done, let’s go ahead and let’s just right now get everybody home, make sure everybody’s good, get a deep cleanse of the building.”

Veteran offensive lineman Eric Kush visiting the Bears

To help with some of the uncertainty on the offensive line, the Bears are bringing in veteran interior lineman Eric Kush for a visit.

The Chicago Bears offensive line is a mess. And I’m not just referring to the unit’s performance on the field.

The Bears have dealt with a rash of injuries and COVID-19 struggles that has the projected offensive line in doubt heading into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

To help with some of the uncertainty, the Bears are bringing in veteran interior offensive lineman Eric Kush for a visit. As Bears fans know, Kush previously played for Chicago back in 2016 and 2018.

The Bears could be without four offensive starters against the Titans, where left tackle Charles Leno Jr. is the only starter that’s projected to be good to go for Sunday. Left guard James Daniels is done for the season with a torn pectoral muscle while right tackle Bobby Massie is on injured reserve at least for the next three weeks with a knee injury.

Then there’s the case of center Cody Whitehair, who at first was questionable because of a calf injury. But that’s the least of his worries now. Whitehair joins reserve swing tackle Jason Spriggs as the second member of the Bears’ active roster to test positive for COVID-19, and both of them are out for Sunday. Right guard Germain Ifedi, who was dubbed a close contact, tested negative for COVID, and coach Matt Nagy believes Ifedi could be good to go against the Titans.

Undrafted free agent Sam Mustipher got his first start last Sunday in place of the injured Whitehair, where he played solid at center. But Mustipher is dealing with a knee injury, which leaves the Bears down two centers. Which is where the addition of Kush would be beneficial. If not, expect Alex Bars to get the nod while seventh-round rookie Arlington Hambright would get the nod at guard while Rashaad Coward swings out to right tackle.

No one knows what this Bears offensive line is going to look like come Sunday. Not even Nagy and the Bears.

Veteran offensive lineman Eric Kush visiting the Bears

To help with some of the uncertainty on the offensive line, the Bears are bringing in veteran interior lineman Eric Kush for a visit.

The Chicago Bears offensive line is a mess. And I’m not just referring to the unit’s performance on the field.

The Bears have dealt with a rash of injuries and COVID-19 struggles that has the projected offensive line in doubt heading into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

To help with some of the uncertainty, the Bears are bringing in veteran interior offensive lineman Eric Kush for a visit. As Bears fans know, Kush previously played for Chicago back in 2016 and 2018.

The Bears could be without four offensive starters against the Titans, where left tackle Charles Leno Jr. is the only starter that’s projected to be good to go for Sunday. Left guard James Daniels is done for the season with a torn pectoral muscle while right tackle Bobby Massie is on injured reserve at least for the next three weeks with a knee injury.

Then there’s the case of center Cody Whitehair, who at first was questionable because of a calf injury. But that’s the least of his worries now. Whitehair joins reserve swing tackle Jason Spriggs as the second member of the Bears’ active roster to test positive for COVID-19, and both of them are out for Sunday. Right guard Germain Ifedi, who was dubbed a close contact, tested negative for COVID, and coach Matt Nagy believes Ifedi could be good to go against the Titans.

Undrafted free agent Sam Mustipher got his first start last Sunday in place of the injured Whitehair, where he played solid at center. But Mustipher is dealing with a knee injury, which leaves the Bears down two centers. Which is where the addition of Kush would be beneficial. If not, expect Alex Bars to get the nod while seventh-round rookie Arlington Hambright would get the nod at guard while Rashaad Coward swings out to right tackle.

No one knows what this Bears offensive line is going to look like come Sunday. Not even Nagy and the Bears.

Chicago Bears personnel sent home due to COVID-19 concerns

After center Cody Whitehair tested positive for COVID-19, the Bears sent everyone home as a precautionary measure.

For the first eight weeks of the 2020 NFL season, the Chicago Bears have managed to stay healthy when it came to concerns surrounding COVID-19. But the situation has taken a turn over the last couple of days.

Earlier in the week, tackle Jason Spriggs tested positive for COVID-19 and guard Germain Ifedi was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list as well due to his close proximity.

Now, center Cody Whitehair has also tested positive for the virus, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. With Whitehair’s positive test, the team decided to send everyone home from Halas Hall as a precautionary measure, according to Adam Jahns of The Athletic. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was the first to report the team had new COVID-19 developments.

It’s unclear if Whitehair is the only new positive case, but he’s the second player on the offensive line to be diagnosed with COVID-19 after Spriggs, meaning this may not be an isolated incident.

The team had been preparing for a practice at 12:45 pm CT but it has since been cancelled. Head coach Matt Nagy will provide an update later in the day, according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune.

As of Thursday morning, Spriggs, and Whitehair are the only two players who have tested positive. Though he’s on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Ifedi has reportedly tested negative. Ifedi must continue to quarantine for five days due to his close proximity with Spriggs, however. Nagy still anticipates him to be available on Sunday when the Bears take on the Tennessee Titans.

Bears Wire will continue to update as this situation unfolds.

Matt Nagy expects RG Germain Ifedi to play Sunday vs. Titans

The Bears are expected to miss a good portion of their starting OL vs. the Titans, but they may not be as decimated as initially thought.

The Chicago Bears are expected to miss a significant portion of their starting offensive line when they face the Tennessee Titans this week, but they may not be as decimated as initially thought.

Right guard Germain Ifedi, who went on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday, is expected to start on Sunday, according to head coach Matt Nagy.

Ifedi went on the reserve/COVID-19 list due to his close proximity with tackle Jason Spriggs, who tested positive for the virus this week. Spriggs is the first active Bears player to test positive this season.

Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that it’s believed Ifedi has tested negative for the virus, but must still quarantine for the next few days.

Already missing Spriggs, starting tackle Bobby Massie, and left guard James Daniels with starting center Cody Whitehair and reserve center Sam Mustipher’s status uncertain, Ifedi’s ability to play will greatly benefit a patched-up offensive line. If Ifedi is unable to play, the Bears may turn to rookie offensive lineman Arlington Hambright to fill in.

Ifedi, who signed a one-year deal as a free agent coming from the Seattle Seahawks, has started all eight games for the Bears this season. His status will likely be updated on Saturday, when he can be activated prior to the Bears matchup against the Titans.

Bears offensive line is an even bigger mess heading into Week 9

Offensive line has been one of the biggest concerns for the Bears this season. Now, there’s a new struggle: Injuries.

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Offensive line has been one of the biggest concerns for the Chicago Bears this season. And that was when all five starters were in place on the line. But now, the Bears are facing a new struggle on the offensive line: Injuries.

A couple of weeks ago, the biggest concern was left guard James Daniels’ season being cut short with a torn pectoral muscle. Now, center Cody Whitehair’s status is up-in-the-air as he recovers from a calf injury that Matt Nagy doesn’t expect to be long-term.

Then right tackle Bobby Massie suffered a knee injury against the Saints, and he was placed on injured reserve where he won’t be eligible to return until Dec. 6 against the Detroit Lions.

For the longest time, the concerns on the offensive line stemmed from the performance on the field, where they struggled in run blocking and pass protection. Things couldn’t possibly get worse for the unit.

But then Tuesday happened.

Offensive tackle Jason Spriggs tested positive for COVID-19, and right guard Germain Ifedi was said to be one of those in close contact with him. Both were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, although it’s still possible Ifedi could suit up for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

As a result of both Massie being placed on IR and the COVID scare, the Bears promoted seventh-round rookie Lachavious Simmons to the active roster and signed Aaron Neary to the practice squad.

If Ifedi can’t go, as expected, here’s what the Bears’ offensive line could look like on Sunday:

Left tackle Charles Leno Jr.
Left guard Alex Bars
Center Sam Mustipher
Right guard Arlington Hambright
Right tackle Rashaad Coward

To make matters worse, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported that center Sam Mustipher, who was filling in for Whitehair, played through an injury suffered against the Saints, and Mustipher is expected to miss some time, which means things could look a whole lot different depending on the status of Whitehair and Mustipher.

There’s no doubt that the offensive line will be a major storyline to follow this week heading into Sunday’s game against the Titans. And an already-struggling offensive line could look a whole lot worse come Week 9.