For the second day in a row, the Chicago Bears have been forced to put a key player on injured reserve, as defensive tackle Akiem Hicks’ season is now in jeopardy.
Hicks, who is dealing with an elbow injury, was officially placed on IR on Tuesday by the team. Hicks did not play in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings with a knee injury, and although he tried to play in Week 5 against the Oakland Raiders, he was injured again in the contest and did not return.
It is unclear whether the Bears will try to activate Hicks from injured reserve later this season, but he would not be eligible to return until December at the earliest, as a minimum eight-week stint on the injured reserve list is required.
To replace Hicks on the active roster, the Bears signed offensive lineman Alex Bars from the practice squad. Bars could potentially see some playing time for the Bears this week, as right guard Kyle Long was placed on injured reserve by the team on Monday morning.
Finally, the Bears signed linebacker Fadol Brown to their practice squad.
