Bears Have No Answers As Injuries Contribute To Derailing Season Again

By Chris Emma—

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (CBS) – One would be hard-pressed to find a team that has dealt with injuries quite like the Bears have in recent years.

A year removed from placing 19 players on injured reserve, the injuries are piling up again. The Bears entered Sunday's game with the Buccaneers with seven players on injured reserve and a handful more released with injury settlements. Then, more injuries came in a 29-7 loss at Raymond James Stadium.

Nick Kwiatkoski became the second Bears inside linebacker in as many weeks to suffer a pectoral injury, joining the company of Jerrell Freeman. He, too, could be placed on injured reserve. Guards Josh Sitton and Tom Compton both suffered apparent injuries, and guard Kyle Long is still working his way back from an offseason ankle rehab. Eric Kush, the reserve option at guard, is already on IR. Come practice Wednesday, the Bears' only guard may be their center, Cody Whitehair.

The Bears' two top receivers, Cameron Meredith and Kevin White, are both on IR, and Markus Wheaton has yet to play a snap because of a fractured pinkie finger suffered in camp. Running back Jordan Howard rushed for just seven yards on nine carries Sunday while limited with a shoulder injury that he claims is OK, though the lack of production would suggest otherwise.

Even long snapper Patrick Scales suffered a torn ACL during the preseason. It has been that kind of season so far for the Bears, and just two games have been played. After going 3-13 in an injury-riddled 2016 season, the Bears have encountered the same injury trend here in 2017.

Coach John Fox doesn't have answers why, and general manager Ryan Pace has been searching for himself. The Bears have committed to getting this issue fixed, and yet here they are again with players sidelined all over.

"This is the game of football," linebacker Willie Young said." So much for (an injury) bug. It's going on throughout the league. It's just football, and nothing you can do to prevent it. It has nothing to do with being in shape. It has nothing to do with awareness. It's early in the year, guys are busting their tails right now.

"Right now, we're at our strongest. It's very unfortunate, very unfortunate, but once again, this is the NFL and it can't be taken lightly."

Fox has often said that the only way to avoid injuries is by simply not playing football. He also is fond of saying that it's "next man up" after each injury. But these Bears simply aren't good enough to work down their depth chart and find success. This team signed Danny Trevathan and Freeman a year ago and drafted Kwiatkoski but now finds itself again with Christian Jones or Jonathan Anderson set to start at inside linebacker. Who knows what happens at guard with four injured players there.

The receiver position was already a mess entering training camp, and then Meredith suffered a torn ACL in the third preseason game and White fractured his scapula in the first game of the regular season. Kendall Wright and Deonte Thompson are the current starters at receiver.

To what can the Bears attribute these injuries? Perhaps there are answers inside Halas Hall, where defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently admitted his skepticism in the word of the training staff that told him linebacker Pernell McPhee was in top shape. For the record, McPhee is still working on a snap count.

While some injuries can't be avoided at full speed and contact, the cause is likely more than just awful luck for the Bears.

And if the Bears continue their recent run of poor fortunes with the injury bug, this season will be a lot like 2016.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.