COVID-19 Situation Costs Bears Line Coach Juan Castillo for the Week

Positive test by a person around the Bears offensive line coach has resulted in a week away from the practice facility and a missed game against Carolina

Injured guard James Daniels is not the only loss from the Bears offensive line room at Halas Hall this week.

Line coach Juan Castillo will be away from the Bears practice facility all week as a result of a COVID-19 situation. Bears coach Matt Nagy said after Wednesday's practice that Castillo had been around someone who has COVID-19 and is not coming to practices or Sunday's game with Carolina as a precaution. He is taking part in meetings with the offensive line via Zoom.

"To his credit it was self-reported," Nagy said of Castillo's situation. "In these times, a selfless act."

Castillo has not tested positive.

"These are the times that you're in right now," Nagy said. "There's not much you can do other than try to keep it at that."

The Bears had practice squad offensive tackle Badara Traora test positive late last week.

"It's completely unrelated to Badara's situation," Nagy said. "Juan had a close contact away from the facility test positive yesterday so he's considered high risk. And so we're just trying to be overly cautious to quarantee him through Sunday."

Without Castillo available on Sunday to go to Carolina, the Bears will put assistant line coach Donovan Raiola in charge of the offensive line on the sidelines. Raiola has been a Bears assistant since 2018.

"On game-day situation it's next-man-up mentality on the coaching side," Nagy said. "And so this is an opportunity for him to grow. He did a hell of a job today in (offensive plan) installs. And I just thought it's fun to watch that happen. So the guys have trust in him."

This comes in a week when the Bears will be without Daniels due to a pectoral muscle injury. They have guard Alex Bars making his first NFL start as a result of Daniels' injury. Bars played the second half against Tampa Bay.

On Wednesday, the Bears officially put Daniels on injured reserve and promoted center Sam Mustipher to the 53-man roster.

Perctoral muscle injuries can vary in severity and in some cases players return late in the season from them. Houston's J.J. Watt returned after missing half of last season with a pectoral injury.

However, Nagy doubted this would happen in Daniels' case.

"I would say I don't think so right now," Nagy said. "I don't know how things will go but I just don't see that happening."

Mustipher was Bars' teammate at Notre Dame. Both Bars and Mustipher were undrafted free agents who signed with the Bears after going undrafted in 2019.

The Bears have only one new player on the injury report this week.

Defensive end Brent Urban was limited in Wednesday's practice as a result of knee soreness.

Safety Deon Bush continues to sit out with a hamstring injury and defensive back Sherrick McManis was able to practice on a limited basis with a hamstring. Both Bush and McManis missed last week's game.

The Bears also gave wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., tight end Jimmy Graham, defensive end Akiem Hicks and linebacker Danny Trevathan veterans' days off from practice to rest.

Carolina's injury report was a little more crowded. 

Panthers defensive line starters Yetur Gross-Matos and tackle Kawann Short both missed practice Wednesday and Short is going on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury. Gross-Matos has an ankle injury.

The Panthers also were without defensive end Brian Burns due to a concussion.

Cornerback Eli Apple (hamstring), cornerback Donte Jackson (toe), defensive tacke Zach Kerr (toe), and wide receiver Curtis Samuel (knee) all were limited in practice 

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