The Bears will once again be shorthanded in their secondary Thursday night when they visit the Washington Commanders at FedExField.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson (hamstring) and safety Eddie Jackson (foot) both have been ruled out of the game after being unable to practice this week. Johnson will miss his second straight contest, while Jackson will sit out his third in a row.
Rookie fifth-round pick Terell Smith performed well in Johnson's absence last Sunday against the Broncos, recording five tackles, one tackle-for-loss and one pass breakup in his first NFL start.
In addition, safety Jaquan Brisker was added to the injury report Wednesday after being limited in practice due to a hamstring injury.
"What happened was he tweaked his hamstring in practice, and we'll see where it is," said coach Matt Eberflus.
The starting secondary versus the Broncos consisted of rookie cornerbacks Smith and Tyrique Stevenson and safeties Brisker and Elijah Hicks. Undrafted rookie Quindell Johnson is listed as Brisker's backup on the depth chart and has subbed in on defense this year when Brisker has been injured.
Another option at safety could be veteran Duron Harmon, who was signed Tuesday off the Ravens practice squad. Harmon has appeared in 161 NFL games with 78 starts over 10 seasons with the Patriots (2013-19), Lions (2020), Falcons (2021) and Raiders (2022). The 6-foot, 205-pounder has recorded 401 tackles, 23 interceptions, 43 pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.
Harmon won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, capping the 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons. Last year he appeared in 17 games with 16 starts for Las Vegas, compiling a career-high 86 tackles, two interceptions, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He also scored his first NFL touchdown, returning an interception 73 yards in a 38-20 win over the Texans last Oct. 23.
"He has experience in a lot of different systems," Eberflus said. "We like the man. He's a really good football player, but he's also a really good person. We feel good where that is. We think he can bring some stability to that in the safety room."
After missing the first four games with a calf injury, left guard Teven Jenkins returned to practice this week and is questionable for Sunday's game. The Bears have until 4 p.m. CT Thursday to add him to their active roster.
"We'll see where he is [Thursday]," Eberflus said. "When he's in that situation, we'll work him out, we'll see where he is, then we'll go from there."
The only player on the Commanders' injury report is running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., who is questionable after being limited in practice due to an illness.
The Bears were back on the practice fields at Halas Hall to continue their preparation for Thursday's Week 5 road game against the Washington Commanders.
