Bears Injury Update: Starter Ruled Out for Second Straight Game

Christian Petersen/Getty Elijah Hicks of the Chicago Bears warms up before the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on November 3, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.

The Bears will be without starting safety Elijah Hicks for a second straight game after he was ruled out ahead of Chicago’s Thanksgiving Day NFC North showdown with the Detroit Lions.

Hicks was listed as out in the Bears’ Wednesday injury report. The third-year defensive back took over the starting strong safety role for the Bears ahead of their week 6 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and remained in that role until he suffered an ankle injury in Chicago’s week 11 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Jonathan Owens started in Hicks’ place against the Minnesota Vikings and had 8 tackles and forced and recovered a fumble. Owens, the husband of legendary Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, is expected to start again on Thanksgiving.

Elijah Hicks Rolled His Ankle in the Bears Loss to the Packers

Hicks rolled his ankle during the Bears loss to the Packers, according to Scott Bair, the Bears insider for the Marquee Sports Network. He has not practiced since he was injured, according to the Bears injury report.

Hicks was drafted by the Bears in the 7th round of the 2022 draft out of California. Hicks had 29 tackles and 2 passes defended before suffering the injury. He replaced Jaquan Brisker, who has been sidelined with a concussion and was placed on the team’s injured reserve on November 14 while he continues to go through the concussion protocol, according to ESPN.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters earlier this month about Brisker, “He’s made progress. He’s got into the meetings, he’s got into the walk-through and got into those things and then has those symptoms. Again, it’s always gonna be about his safety and his health and where he is.”

The Bears Will Also Be Without Offensive Lineman Ryan Bates, While the Lions Are Dealing With Several Key Injuries

Chicago listed only one other player on its Wednesday injury report: backup offensive lineman Ryan Bates, who will be out with a concussion for a second straight game. Bates has dealt with injuries all season and recently revealed he almost earlier in the season because of shoulder issues.

Bates played in the Bears week 1 game and then didn’t return to action until week 10. He then suffered a concussion in week 11 against the Packers.

The Lions will be without wide receiver Kalif Raymond, offensive tackle Taylor Decker and cornerback Carlton Davis, who were ruled out in Wednesday’s injury report. The report listed running back David Montgomery and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown as questionable.

Montgomery and St. Brown both are expected to play, according to the Detroit Free Press. Montgomery, who left the Bears win over the Indianapolis Colts with a knee injury, will be especially motivated to hit the field against the Bears, his former team.

When asked if Montgomery would be sidelined on Thanksgiving, Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters, according to the Free Press, “Oh heck no, are you kidding me? No, no, no. And look, David last week was – he wanted to get back in that game. He was good and I held him back just to be on the safe side and he was not happy.”

The Bears and Lions kickoff from Detroit at 12:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS to start the Thanksgiving Day football triple-header. The Dallas Cowboys will host the New York Giants at 4:30 p.m. on Fox and the Miami Dolphins travel to Green Bay to face the Packers at 8:20 p.m. on NBC. The holiday football continues on Black Friday as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Las Vegas Raiders at 3 p.m. on Amazon Prime video.