The Bears on Friday ruled right tackle Larry Borom out of Sunday's game against the Cowboys with a concussion that has kept him from practicing this week.
Borom, a 2021 fifth-round pick who became a starter midway through his rookie season last year, has opened each of the Bears' first seven games this year.
Borom isn't the only offensive lineman who won't be available to play in Dallas; left guard Cody Whitehair and center/guard Lucas Patrick are both on injured reserve.
Whitehair will sit out his fourth straight game with a knee injury he sustained in a Week 4 loss to the Giants. He's eligible to return a week from Sunday when the Bears host the Dolphins. Patrick exited Monday night's win over the Patriots with a toe injury and was placed on injured reserve Thursday. He must miss at least four games, making him eligible to return for the Bears' Nov. 27 road contest against the Jets.
"You've got three guys that were starting for us at one point [unable to play in Dallas]," said coach Matt Eberflus. "Guys have got to go in there and do the job, just like 'Scho' (Michael Schofield III) and Sam [Mustipher] did last week too.
"So it's going to be much of the same. That's a really tight group. They're close to each other. They have really good coaches. We're going to go in there and get it done."
Mustipher started the first six games at center but was supplanted by Patrick against the Patriots. When Patrick exited in the first quarter, Mustipher replaced him and performed well, earning praise from teammates and coaches.
"It's pretty impressive," said quarterback Justin Fields. "Last week he wasn't the happiest about the move, as nobody would be. He handled it like a pro; did the same thing that I've seen him do since Week 1 in terms of routine-wise, and I think he handled it well. Him coming in the game was big for us. He played his hardest and he played tough, so definitely proud of him."
With Patrick moving to center from left guard in New England—where he had replaced the injured Whitehair—Schofield stepped in at the left guard position.
"He was solid in there for his first time back," Eberflus said. "He's played a lot of snaps, so it's not his first time he's been playing obviously. He's a true pro. He works at it diligently and [he's] a very smart guy."
The eighth-year pro signed with the Bears July 25, was released as part of final cuts and then re-signed Sept. 14. Prior to arriving in Chicago, Schofield appeared in 102 NFL games with 81 starts with the Broncos (2014-16), Chargers (2017-19 and 2021) and Panthers (2020).
Eberflus declined to reveal who will start in place of the injured Borom in Dallas but conceded that "we've only got so many options. I'm sure we can probably assume where everybody's going to be."
Other than starting left tackle Braxton Jones, the only other tackles who are expected to be available Sunday are veteran Riley Reiff and second-year pro Alex Leatherwood, who was activated from the non-football illness list Friday.
Reiff is in his 11th NFL season and first with the Bears. He appeared in 153 NFL games with the Lions (2012-16), Vikings (2017-20) and Bengals (2021), starting all 131 contests he played the past 10 seasons. This year Reiff has appeared in six games, playing two snaps on offense and 24 on special teams.
"Reiff's been ready," Eberflus said. "He's been ready to go. He obviously played a lot of snaps in the league. He knows his assignment, knows how to do it. He's always been a consummate pro as well. He's always been very helpful in the room for those young guys and certainly for Braxton."
Leatherwood was claimed off waivers from the Raiders Aug. 31. He was selected by Las Vegas with the 17th pick in the first round of last year's draft out of Alabama. He started all 17 games as a rookie in 2021, moving to right guard in Week 5 after struggling at right tackle.
Leatherwood was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list Sept. 14 and designated to return to practice Oct. 12, opening a 21-day window for him to be added to the active roster.
"He hasn't been here that long," Eberflus said. "He was out for a little bit. He's only been back a couple weeks now. So it's where you would think it is. But he's working diligently at it with the coaches and we think he's in a good spot."
For the Cowboys, running back Ezekiel Elliott is not expected to play; he's listed as doubtful on the injury report with a knee injury he sustained last Sunday against the Lions that prevented him from practicing all week.
Five other Dallas starters are listed as questionable: Right tackle Terence Steele (neck), receiver Noah Brown (foot), tight end Dalton Schultz (knee), linebacker Micah Parsons (shoulder) and safety Malik Hooker (hamstring).
