Bears Veteran on Roster Bubble Carted Off the Field With Injury: ‘Tough Blow’

The night is over for Chicago Bears offensive tackle Larry Borom — and so might be his chances of making the team’s 53-man roster for the 2024 season.

Borom went down with an apparent right leg injury on the second play of the Bears’ second drive during the first quarter of their preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs on August 22. The team’s medical staff attended to him on the field for a few minutes after the play ended, but the Bears eventually brought out the cart for him.

Borom has been competing for the Bears’ swing tackle role behind starters Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright, but he is on the roster bubble with veteran Matt Pyror — who also plays guard — and third-round rookie Kiran Amegadjie in the mix at the position. The 2021 fifth-round pick has started 23 games for the Bears over his first three years.

“Ah, man. That’s a tough blow for Larry Borom, who had the edge as the Bears’ swing tackle,” ESPN’s Courtney Cronin wrote on X during the game. “Leaves the field on a cart after getting hurt on that [second-down] play with what looked like a leg injury.”

The Bears have not yet shared details about how severe Borom’s injury is, but anything causing him to miss a significant amount of time could make it difficult for him to earn a place on the 53-man roster. If the Bears were to place him on the injured reserve list before their 53-man roster cutdown, Borom would be out for the entire 2024 season.

The Bears must make their 53-man roster cuts before the league-wide deadline at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, August 27.

If Larry Borom Misses Time, Bears Could Need an OT

Borom might not be a starter, but his injury — if significant — could create problems for the Bears in terms of their offensive tackle depth as they prepare for the 2024 season.

The Bears believe the rookie Amegadjie can develop into their swing tackle in the future, perhaps even in 2024, but it is unlikely they are ready to trust him in the role just yet. He missed the majority of training camp while recovering from the surgery he underwent last October to repair his partially torn quad and only just came off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on August 18.

Reasonably, it would be unfair to expect Amegadjie to jump right into a live regular-season NFL game on September 8, no matter how much the Bears like his talent.

With Amegadjie in catch-up mode, the Bears would likely need to find another offensive tackle for their 53-man roster if Borom’s injury were to take him out of the running. The cutdown period may actually provide them with a few worthwhile options to consider, such as potentially veteran Kelvin Beachum if the Arizona Cardinals let him go.

Bears Also Lose a Few Others to Concerning Injuries

Borom accounted for the first Bears injury of the night, but he was not the only player who appeared to suffer a significant one in the final exhibition game against the Chiefs.

The Bears also carted wide receiver Nsimba Webster off the field after the first play of their fourth drive, just a few minutes into the second quarter. Webster had been having a nice night for the Bears, catching three passes for 68 yards on the first three drives with a 44-yard grab as his highlight.

According to The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, the Bears also needed to bring out the backboard for cornerback Douglas Coleman III after he appeared to injure his neck while making a tackle on the first play of the second half. Both teams took a knee while trainers attended to him, prompting the NFL Network broadcast to go to a commercial.

Both Webster and Coleman are competing for spots on the Bears’ practice squad. If either has suffered a significant injury, it could mark the end of their time in Chicago.