The Bears will be shorthanded in the secondary Sunday when they host the Broncos.
On Friday, safety Eddie Jackson (foot) and cornerback Jaylon Johnson (hamstring) were ruled out of the game after injuries kept them from practicing all week, and backup cornerback Josh Blackwell (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve.
Nickel back Kyler Gordon is already on IR with a hand injury that required surgery.
With so many veterans unable to play Sunday, coach Matt Eberflus was asked where the secondary will rank among the youngest he's entered a game with.
"Probably No. 1," Eberflus said. "But those guys are excited, they're ready. We played a lot of young guys last year. I think those guys have talent. I think they're good players. I'm excited to see Smitty (Terell Smith) and Tyrique [Stevenson] in there full-time. It's going to be a good challenge for those guys. They've got really good receivers. They've got really good speed at that position group."
Stevenson and Smith are both rookie cornerbacks who were selected by the Bears in the second and fifth rounds, respectively, of this year's draft.
Stevenson has started each of the first three games this season, registering 15 tackles and one tackle-for-loss while playing 74 percent of the defensive snaps.
After playing sparingly in the first two contests, Smith was on the field for 74 percent of the defensive snaps last Sunday against the Chiefs, registering 10 tackles, one tackle-for-loss and one pass breakup.
Eberflus was impressed with Smith's poise versus Kansas City.
"I thought he did a really good job in there for a young guy," Eberflus said. "There's a lot of learning experiences for those young rookies, but it wasn't too big for him, and I thought he played well and I think he's going to continue to play well. If you're a rookie DB, as you know they're going to come after you. That's what they do and he's up for the challenge. I thought he played well."
The Bears' only offensive player with an injury designation for Sunday's game is running back Travis Homer, who is questionable with an ankle injury after being limited in practice Friday for the second straight day.
Eberflus also revealed that veteran right guard Nate Davis is expected to play after missing the previous two games due to personal reasons. After being inactive versus the Buccaneers, Davis was active but did not play against the Chiefs.
