Bear Digest

Bears Week 4 Thursday Injury Report: Starting Defensive Duo Sits Out

Starters Kevin Byard and Andrew Billings both missed practice on Thursday for the Bears but a few players who had been injury issues on Wednesday were able to return.

Gene Chamberlain

Defensive tackle Andrew Billings goes through work at Halas Hall earlier this season. Billings missed Thursday's practice with a knee injury.
Defensive tackle Andrew Billings goes through work at Halas Hall earlier this season. Billings missed Thursday's practice with a knee injury. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Bears defensive tackle Andrew Billings and safety Kevin Byard have joined the group of players missing practice entirely due to injuries.

Billings has knee soreness and Byard a back injury. Byard had practiced Wednesday but not Thursday, while Billings had only a limited practice Wednesday before missing Thursday's practice entirely.

Bears defensive end Darrell Taylor missed practice entirely on Thursday, as well. He had also missed Wednesday and coach Matt Eberflus had said he was ill, but the Bears on Thursday listed him as also having a knee injury besides being ill.

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On the positive side, right tackle Darnell Wright was able to return to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday with a back injury and wide receiver Keenan Allen continued to practice on a limited basis after missing two games due to plantar fasciitis. Also, right guard Nate Davis returned for a full practice Thursday after he had been limited with a groin injury on Wednesday and defensive end Montez Sweat was able to go through a full practice after a limited one Wednesday due to an elbow injury.

Fullback Khari Blasingame (knee, hand) and tackle Braxton Jones (knee) continued practicing on a limited basis Thursday after doing the same on Wednesday.

If the Bears don't have Byard available they could turn to Jonathan Owens at safety. Byard's play, however, has been rock solid and nothing like he showed while in Philadelphia after being traded by Tennessee at the trading deadline last year.

If they're missing Billings it would be a huge blow as his play at nose tackle has been vital over the last two years at stopping the run, plus Pickens is one of his backups at nose tackle and is unavailable.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.