Chicago Bears to be without defensive starter vs. Lions, will add kicker to practice squad

The Chicago Bears will be without a defensive starter for the second week in a row, but get good news in other key positions.

What we know:

According to the Bears’ Friday injury report, nickelback Kyler Gordon was ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. Detroit with a hamstring injury. That same injury kept him out of the season opener on Monday.

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was listed as questionable after a knee injury kept him out of practice the first two practices of the week. Jarrett practiced on Friday, Sixth receiver Jahdae Walker was listed as doubtful for Sunday.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson missed all of training camp with a groin injury, but appeared on the injury report with a calf issue. Johnson said the calf injury was a result of his ramp-up process and overcompensating in his return to practice. He was not given an injury designation and will make his season debut on Sunday.

Linebacker TJ Edwards was not given an injury designation, either. He’s set to play Sunday, too.

Dig deeper:

The Bears are also adding to their practice squad and bringing some competition to their kicking game.

According to multiple reports, the Bears are signing former 49ers kicker Jake Moody to their practice squad. This comes after Bears kicker Cairo Santos missed a 50-yard field goal vs. the Vikings and failed to hit a kickoff out of bounds with 2:02 left in the fourth quarter to preserve the two-minute warning.

This is a fresh start for Moody, who was a former third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Michigan by San Francisco. In Week, Moody missed wide left from 27 yards out and had a field foal blocked from 36 yards out. He also missed 10 FG attempts last season. However, Moody set a Super Bowl record for longest field goal made in a Super Bowl when he booted a 55-yard field goal in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVIII.

It remains to be seen if Moody will challenge Santos for the starting kicker spot, but the Bears will need to make a corresponding move and release a player off their practice squad to add Moody.