Bears shortening practice to help limit mid-week injuries

The Chicago Bears released their injury report on Friday, and it was a lengthy one. 

Three players, including cornerback Jaylon Johnson and running back David Montgomery, have been ruled out, and five players have been designated as either out or doubtful on top of the seven players on injured reserve.

After watching many of his players go down with injuries during practice or not make it to Sunday, head coach Matt Eberflus decided to do something about it.

“We shortened practice a little bit today,” Eberflus told reporters on Wednesday. “We took out some 1-on-1s. We shortened it because we want to stay fresh. You know, we played three games in a row, and we want to be fresh going into Sunday. So, we shortened that, and we’ll do that the next two weeks.”

While the Bears didn’t take drastic measures, practices ahead of their Week 4 meeting against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium have been reduced by approximately 15 minutes with fewer individual drills.

Eberflus stated the changes will continue at least through Chicago’s Week 7 game against the New England Patriots on Oct. 24, and the situation will be reassessed then.

“We’re always looking at the numbers — the numbers that the strength staff gives us with the distances and the speed and the effort,” he said. “We’re always going to modify to make sure we’re doing the best we can for the guys on Sunday.”