The Bears will be without one of their offensive line starters going forward. They moved Germain Ifedi to IR, knocking the veteran blocker out for at least three games.
A knee injury sustained late in the first half Sunday sidelined Ifedi, moving Elijah Wilkinson into Chicago’s lineup. That arrangement will likely continue beginning Sunday. Ifedi is not expected to miss the rest of the season, per Matt Nagy. The Bears also placed outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu on IR. Attaochu suffered a torn pec, which will end his season.
Ifedi has started all 21 games he has played for the Bears. The former first-round pick came over after an underwhelming Seahawks tenure, but the Texas A&M product has proven dependable in Chicago. Ifedi slid to guard last season, but after the Bears released Bobby Massie this offseason, Ifedi moved back to the right tackle spot he played in Seattle. The Bears’ upcoming stretch — against the Packers, 49ers and Buccaneers — stands to test Ifedi’s replacement.
Wilkinson signed with the Bears this offseason but could not win the starting right tackle job out of camp. The Bears are already without their preferred left tackle, rookie Teven Jenkins, but the team does roster Jason Peters on the left side. Wilkinson did serve as a plug-and-play option in Denver, being the Broncos’ primary right tackle in 2019 and adding seven more starts to his resume in place of the oft-absent Ja’Wuan James last season.