Bears secondary to be shorthanded vs. Broncos

The final Week 4 injury report is in for the Chicago Bears and it’s not pretty: Jaylon Johnson, Eddie Jackson, and Josh Blackwell are all listed as “out” for Week 4’s matchup against the Denver Broncos. Including Kyler Gordon who is still on IR, that means three of the original five starters in the secondary will not play on Sunday, and the first backup, Blackwell, won’t either.

Filling in for the injured starters will likely be Greg Stroman Jr., Elijah Hicks, and rookie Terrell Smith. Stroman Jr. was activated from the practice squad in recent days, and Hicks was a seventh-round pick from the 2022 draft who hasn’t seen much action yet.

Smith was a fifth-round pick in 2023 who flashed real potential during the preseason but has only played in one game so far. Last week against Kansas City, he had a lot of tackles but no takeaways and just one pass breakup.

These depth pieces in Chicago’s secondary are going to be tested this week as Russell Wilson looks to rinse the bitter taste of a humiliating 70-23 loss in Week 3.