The Bears will battle the high-powered Commanders offense Sunday at Northwest Stadium in Washington without two key defensive backs.
Safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and nickel back Kyler Gordon (hamstring), both of whom were selected by the Bears in the second round of the 2022 draft, were unable to practice this week and have been ruled out of the game.
Brisker remains in concussion protocol and will miss his second straight contest, while Gordon was injured in the Bears' last game, a 35-16 win over the Jaguars Oct. 13 in London.
Elijah Hicks, who has thrived as a fill-in starter since joining the Bears in 2022 as a seventh-round pick, is set to open his second straight game in place of Brisker.
"It's an opportunity to come in and help our defense stay at the standard that it is," Hicks said. "Coaches are very clear on what the standard is, and we've been playing some good ball. Just trying to go in and do my job, make the plays that are there and win."
Hicks did exactly that against Jacksonville, recording five tackles and one pass breakup and returning a fumble 19 yards.
"He did a really good job," said defensive coordinator Eric Washington. "His poise, his confidence, his swag, it's great to have a person like that that can go in the football game and function as a starter in every single way and you not lose a thing.
"You don't replace Jaquan Brisker. But to have a person that can come into the game with that level of confidence is just a great asset to have. I'm really excited for him and looking forward to how he'll compete this week."
Third-year pro Josh Blackwell replaced Gordon at nickel back when he exited the Jaguars game and is expected to remain in that role Sunday. Blackwell recorded his first NFL interception in that contest, sliding to pick off a Trevor Lawrence pass over the middle.
"It's always special," Blackwell said of the chance to fill in on defense. "I love being a part of this team. 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 the tackles and everything."
Hicks and Blackwell weren't the only reserve DBs who excelled in London. Third-year pro Jaylon Jones started in place of injured cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and led the Bears with a career-high 10 tackles.
"I think it's a testament to how we prepare going into the week regardless of if we're starting or not," Hicks said. "We're very regimented guys. All of us are really close, so we do extra work together, do extra treatment together. It has a lot to do with that and then the coaches coaching us as if we're starters even though we're not starters, so when something like this happens, we're prepared."
Stevenson practiced without restrictions Friday after being limited Wednesday and Thursday due to a calf issue and was not given an injury designation.
Cornerback Terell Smith worked out in full for the second straight day and is set to return to action Sunday after missing the last three games with a hip injury. A 2023 fifth-round choice, Smith appeared in 12 games with four starts as a rookie last year, compiling 49 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
"He's done a lot for us in the past," said coach Matt Eberflus. "He's started for us. He's played well for us, and we're expecting he'll be in there some and rotating a little bit. So it's going to be exciting for him to be able to play in the secondary. He's made a lot of impactful plays for us in the past."
Offensive tackle Larry Borom (ankle), running back Travis Homer (finger) and defensive end Jacob Martin (toe) are all listed as questionable after practicing without restrictions Thursday and Friday. All three remain on injured reserve and would have to be added to the 53-man roster prior to game time.
Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin) and long snapper Scott Daly (knee) both practiced in full and were not given injury designations.
Commanders update
Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels returned to practice on a limited basis Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday with a rib injury that knocked him out of last Sunday's 40-7 win over the Panthers. Daniels is listed as questionable on the injury report and is expected to be a game-time decision.
"Jayden was able to practice today," said Commanders coach Dan Quinn. "We followed the plan really that we set at the start of the week … Think crawl, walk, run … We will assess how he responds to the work that we did over the next 48 hours, but we really pushed it today. We'll make the best decision for him and the team."
If Daniels is unable to play, he would be replaced by veteran Marcus Mariota, who engineered six straight scoring drives last Sunday against Carolina, completing 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns and a 132.8 passer rating.
Roster moves
The Bears on Friday waived receiver/return specialist Velus Jones Jr. and released fullback Khari Blasingame.
After being selected by the Bears in the third round of the 2022 draft, Jones appeared in 27 games with two starts over three seasons. He caught 12 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown, rushed for 165 yards and one TD on 19 carries, and averaged 26.7 yards on 39 kickoff returns and 7.0 yards on five punt returns.
Blasingame appeared in 34 games with eight starts after signing with the Bears in 2022. He served primarily as a blocker but also rushed for 26 yards on eight carries and caught three passes for two yards. Blasingame spent his first three NFL seasons with the Titans before joining the Bears.
