Getty
Bears running back D'Andre Swift.
The Chicago Bears’ bad luck could force them to play without two of their key starters when they face the Minnesota Vikings for Monday Night Football.
The Bears officially ruled out starting defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. on the injury report following Saturday’s final practice of the week, electing to shut him down after he missed the entire week of practice with the knee injury he sustained in Week 14’s loss.
The Bears are also keeping starting running back D’Andre Swift’s playing status up in the air, listing him as questionable to play against the Vikings because of a quad injury. Swift did not participate in the week’s first two practices with his injury but returned in a limited capacity for Saturday’s final session, leaving the door open for him to play.
Similarly, Swift earned a questionable designation ahead of Week 14’s game against the San Francisco 49ers after missing the first two practices of the week with a knee injury. The 25-year-old ended up playing a season-high 79% of offensive snaps for the Bears, rushing 14 times for 38 yards and catching one pass for 2 yards in Chicago’s 38-13 loss.
That said, the Bears could have significant personnel problems if Swift cannot suit up against the Vikings. They have already ruled out goal-line/short-yardage back Roschon Johnson with a concussion on the injury report and count Travis Homer — primarily a special teams player — as the only other healthy running back on their 53-man roster.
The Bears (4-9) will meet the Vikings (11-2) for their second and final matchup of the 2024 season on Monday Night Football at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on December 16.
Bears Elevate Darrynton Evans as Depth vs. Vikings
The Bears are not ruling out the possibility of Swift playing against the Vikings, but, like in Week 14 against San Francisco, they are calling up help from the practice squad.
The Bears officially elevated running back Darrynton Evans from the practice squad to the game-day roster on December 15, turning to him to fortify their running back room for a second consecutive week with injuries ailing the position group. Evans did not play significant snaps against the 49ers after the Bears cleared Swift to play, but he gained 3 yards on three carries in his limited action and may see more snaps this week.
The Bears might simply need a week-to-week patchwork guy to handle reps while their primary running backs are recovering from their injuries, but it doesn’t hurt to evaluate Evans as a potential fit for their 2025 offseason roster. The 2020 third-round pick has struggled to find a true fit with an NFL team, but the Bears will need additional backs to compete throughout the offseason and training camp — and maybe surprise them.
If Evans falters, though, the Bears also have veteran Royce Freeman to consider calling up to the active roster in their final three games of the 2024 regular season. The Bears signed Freeman to their practice squad on December 11, just one day after cutting ties with Demetric Felton, and his experience could prove useful if Evans can’t get the job done and the injuries with Chicago’s other backs extend beyond Week 15’s game.
Vikings Clear Most of Injury Report Ahead of Bears
As for the Vikings, the injury concerns are not as severe as they are for the Bears.
The Vikings only listed one player — veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore — with a game-status designation on their final injury report. Gilmore is questionable with a hamstring injury that sidelined him in Week 14’s game against the Atlanta Falcons and kept him off the field for Minnesota’s first two practices of Week 15. He did, however, return for Friday’s final practice as a limited participant, giving him a chance to play.
Everyone else received the green light from the Vikings, including running back Aaron Jones (back), linebacker Patrick Jones II (knee) and outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (hip) — all of whom began the week as limited participants in practice.
