Bears Place RB on Season-Ending IR, Waive Rookie DL Amid Cuts

Getty Bears running back Ian Wheeler has been placed on season-ending injured reserve.

Another day, another trade and series of roster moves for the Chicago Bears as they continue to widdle down their active roster to the 53-man limit.

According to the team’s transaction wire for August 24, the Bears placed rookie running back Ian Wheeler and wide receiver Nsimba Webster on season-ending injured reserve on Saturday after both players sustained serious injuries in the team’s preseason finale.

The Bears also officially announced their trade for Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Chris Williams along with three additional roster deductions. The team terminated its contract with veteran tight end Tommy Sweeney and waived both undrafted rookie defensive tackle Keith Randolph Jr. and safety Douglas Coleman III, sending off the latter with an injury designation that could see him revert to injured reserve.

The Bears’ latest series of roster moves come just one day after they traded for Seattle Seahawks defensive end Darrell Taylor and cut ties with defensive end Khalid Kareem and wide receiver Freddie Swain, whom they played on injured reserve on August 21.

The Bears are now down to 86 players on their active roster and will be required to make 33 more cuts before the NFL deadline at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on August 27.

Ian Wheeler Tore ACL in Preseason Finale vs. Chiefs

Wheeler had run well for the Bears during the 2024 preseason, rushing 13 times for 52 yards and delivering a two-touchdown performance in their win over the Buffalo Bills. His bid for the 53-man roster came to an end, though, when he tore his ACL in the second quarter of the team’s 34-21 preseason win over Kansas City on August 22.

Webster also sustained an injury in the second quarter against the Chiefs, a groin issue that forced the Bears to cart him off the field and into the locker room. The 28-year-old had faced steep odds to make the 53-man roster at a much-improved receiver position, but he had helped his case with three catches for 68 yards in the game before his injury.

Both Wheeler and Webster will now spend the entire 2024 season on injured reserve for the Bears. Chicago could also waive them with injury settlements at a later date once they are healthy if the team wants to give them a chance to suit up elsewhere in 2024.

The Bears only have two players currently on injured reserve, but Coleman could join them as a third if he clears waivers and reverts back to the Bears on Sunday, August 25. Coleman suffered a scary neck injury against the Chiefs and went to the hospital for further evaluation, but head coach Matt Eberflus told 670 The Score the following day that Coleman is walking and in “good spirits” following the injury.

Ian Wheeler’s Injury Solidfies RB Position for Bears

Before his injury, Wheeler gave the Bears some options in terms of constructing their running back room for the 2024 season. They could have explored a trade for Khalil Herbert if they felt Wheeler could play a third-string role behind D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson. They could have also worked him in on special teams and booted Travis Homer from their 53-man roster to create roughly $1.88 million in cap relief.

With Wheeler out of the picture, though, the Bears have just four healthy running backs on their pre-cutdown roster and will now expectedly keep all four of them on the 53.

The Bears could still look to shake things up depending on which running backs are made available during the NFL’s 53-man roster cutdown period. If one catches their interest and has special teams value, he could feasibly replace Homer; although, it is unclear whether the Bears have an interest in moving on from Homer.

The Bears also have wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. in the mix to take reps out of the backfield after they found success experimenting with him at running back during the preseason. Jones averaged 6.3 yards per carry and looked like a natural ball carrier in his three exhibition games at the position, scoring two touchdowns and collecting more than 100 rushing yards in the preseason finale against the Chiefs on Thursday.

In all likelihood, the Bears will continue to use Jones as a rusher during the season.