Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon out vs. Commanders
The Bears will be short-handed in the secondary against the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL when they face the Commanders on Sunday at Northwest Stadium, with safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and slot cornerback Kyler Gordon (hamstring) both ruled out. Elijah Hicks will start for Brisker. Josh Blackwell will replace Gordon.
Cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson (calf) and Terell Smith (hip) will return after injury absences. Stevenson did not play against the Jaguars in London. Smith has missed the past three games. Stevenson is the starter, but Smith is expected to rotate in against the Commanders.
The Bears will get another chance to show off their secondary depth, which has come in handy throughout Matt Eberflus’ three seasons, including the Jaguars game, when Hicks had a pass break-up in the end zone and a fumble recovery, Blackwell had an interception and Jaylon Jones — starting for Stevenson — had a team-high 10 tackles.
But the Commanders potent offense — with injured starter Jayden Daniels (bruised ribs) or back-up Marcus Mariota at quarterback — figures to be a more difficult test. When Mariota replaced Daniels last week against the Panthers, he threw two touchdown passes in a 40-7 rout.
But it’s an opportunity players like Blackwell, Hicks, Jones and Smith cherish. With Jaylon Johnson out last year against the Commanders, Hicks, Jones and Smith all made impact plays and back-up Greg Stroman had an interception in a 40-20 victory.
“It’s always special, I love to be a part of this team,” Blackwell said. “You hate to see a guy go down, but it’s an opportunity for me to show that I can play with the defense and hopefully keep rolling with the turnovers and tackles and everything.”
Hicks (nine), Jones (five) and Blackwell (one) have started 15 games in their two-plus seasons with the Bears. Smith, a 2023 fifth-round draft pick, played 50% of the defensive snaps as a rookie.
“I think that says a lot about our depth,” Blackwell said. “That’s what’s so special about guys like us. We’ve got a whole bunch of guys that could be starters at other places, so I think it’s special when you have a group of guys that can come together and know their role and make the most of it.”
Injury report
Long-snapper Scott Daly (knee) had full participation in practice Friday and will play Sunday. Defensive end Jacob Martin (toe), running back Travis Homer (finger) and offensive linemen Larry Borom (ankle), who are eligible to be activated off injured reserve, also had full participation and are questionable.
Pickens re-start
Second-year defensive tackle Zacch Pickens is ready to return after he aggravated a preseason groin injury in Week 2 against the Texans.
“It’s been a difficult stretch,” Pickens said. “I messed it up the first time but it was nothing crazy. Then I tore it and I was nervous. I didn’t know when I was going to be able to come back. I’m happy now — happy, ready to compete. My main goal is to [compete] in practice and let everybody know what I can do.”
Two-way street
The Bears’ defense faces a challenge against the Commanders’ No. 1-ranked scoring offense. But it’s a test for the Commanders’ offense as well, against the Bears’ fourth-ranked scoring defense.
“I know this is a highly rated offense, and they’ve got some guys,” Bears defensive tackle Andrew Billings said. “But now it’s time for us to show [something]. We’ve got some guys, too. We’ve got to be who we think we are and do what we know we can do every week … and go out there and execute. I think that’s all we need to do.”