Bears Injury Update: Darnell Mooney and Teven Jenkins Unavailable
The Bears could potentially be missing three key starters as they prepare to face the Cardinals on Christmas Eve. Left guard Teven Jenkins is currently in concussion protocol, wide receiver Darnell Mooney is dealing with an illness, and defensive end/tackle DeMarcus Walker is nursing a leg injury, with all three players sitting out of Wednesday's practice.
In the event that Jenkins does not clear the concussion protocol in time for Sunday's game, Cody Whitehair is likely to step into his role. Whitehair initially started the season as the left guard while Jenkins was on injured reserve due to a calf injury. Following that, Whitehair had a brief stint at center but was eventually benched due to issues with snap accuracy. According to PFF, Whitehair allowed three pressures in 31 opportunities during the Week 15 game against the Browns, whereas Jenkins managed to surrender no pressures in 14 opportunities.
If Mooney's condition doesn't improve enough for him to play on Christmas Eve, the Bears will rely on Tyler Scott, Velus Jones, and Trent Taylor to fill the void behind DJ Moore at wide receiver. While Mooney had been a frequent target in recent games, the connection between him and Justin Fields has struggled to find consistency. Over the last two games, Fields targeted Mooney 15 times, resulting in only four completions for 58 yards. During the same period, Scott caught four passes on five targets for 60 yards, Jones had one catch on one target for 11 yards, and Taylor was not targeted at all. Veteran receiver Equanimeous St. Brown remains sidelined with a pectoral injury described by Eberflus as a "week-to-week" ailment.
Regarding Walker, Eberflus mentioned that he is day-to-day with his leg injury, and it appears promising that he will be available to play against the Cardinals. Walker's performance has improved steadily throughout the season, and he re-entered the starting lineup after Yannick Ngakoue suffered a season-ending broken ankle. In the last week, Walker recorded half a sack and two tackles for loss.
Additionally, Travis Homer, Noah Sewell, and Jaylon Jones also did not participate in Wednesday's practice. These players have primarily contributed on special teams during the season.
| POLL | ||
22 DECEMBRE | 26 ANSWERS Bears Injury Update: Darnell Mooney and Teven Jenkins Unavailable Will the Bears make the playoffs? | ||
| Yes | 4 | 15.4 % |
| No | 22 | 84.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
