The Chicago Bears had two of their starting offensive linemen go down with high ankle sprains during Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and the team responded to those ailments by making a couple of roster moves on Tuesday afternoon.
The first move was to bring back back-up lineman Eben Britton, who was cut by the team during the preseason. Britton filled in as a sixth lineman during the 2013 season for the Bears, and has started 34 games in his NFL career.
Center Roberto Garza and left guard Matt Slauson were both injured on Sunday for the Bears, and even though Brian de la Puente and Michael Ola did a good job in relief, the Bears still wanted to shore up their depth at the position, so expect to see Britton and Charles Leno Jr. potentially active for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49’ers.
Britton will take the roster spot of wide receiver Micheal Spurlock, who was cut by the Bears on Tuesday. Spurlock had one catch for eight yards for the Bears against the Bills on Sunday, and he was on the field quite a bit in the second half as both Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall dealt with leg injuries.
The Bears finished off their Tuesday with a couple of minor practice squad moves, as wide receiver Greg Herd was brought back into the fold and defensive tackle Roy Philon was released by the team.
The Bears’ first injury report will be released on Wednesday afternoon, and that will give us a fuller picture of what the team’s lineup could look like in the Sunday night showdown. At the very least, bringing back Britton ensures that there is still depth on the offensive line, and his versatility to play both guard and tackle will come in handy.
