Bears Starter Spotted in Walking Boot As Injuries Pile Up

David Montgomery

Getty Bears RB David Montgomery is helped off the field after being injured against the Houston Texans.

The Chicago Bears had multiple starters go down in their Week 3 victory over the Houston Texans. The Bears won the game, 23-20, but lost a few key players when running back David Montgomery left with a lower leg injury and wide receiver Byron Pringle suffered a calf injury. Both went down in the first quarter and did not return.

Pringle’s injury appears to be more serious. According to Patrick Finley of The Chicago Sun-Times, Pringle “had a walking boot on his right calf after the game.”

That’s not ideal as Pringle also missed time throughout training camp and the preseason with a quadriceps injury. The Bears have not confirmed the severity of Pringle’s injury, nor have they given a diagnosis. If Pringle is set to miss multiple weeks, expect the Bears to be active in the wide receiver market, as Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported.


Pringle Had WR2 Hopes

Pringle, 28, has caught two passes on three targets for 33 yards in his three games with the Bears so far this year. The wideout inked a one-year, $4.125 million deal with Chicago in the spring, and while that’s not big-time money, the hope was that he might become a solid WR2 option behind Darnell Mooney.

So far, that hasn’t happened. Instead, the injuries have been piling up for Pringle.

“It’s a guy who’s played some snaps and I think it’ll be easier for him,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told the Chicago Sun-Times about Pringle on September 5, before the season began. “But like I’ve said since the beginning, it hurts when you’re not on the grass and you don’t have that timing with the quarterback and the other guys running a route with you. It’ll be a lot of work ahead of him to get that done, [but] I think he’ll be able to get it done.”

Now, it looks as though it’s going to take even longer for Pringle to develop chemistry with quarterback Justin Fields. Hopefully for the veteran receiver and the Bears, the injury isn’t too serious.


David Montgomery Injury Update: Day to Day

Montgomery left the game against Houston after getting his right leg twisted up while he was blocking on a pass play. The 25-year-old running back appeared to be in a great deal of pain, but walked off the field on his own.

Fortunately for Chicago, Montgomery’s injury doesn’t appear to be too serious.

“It’s good,” Eberflus said after the game when asked about his top running back. “He’s going to be day to day, so that’s positive. We’ll see where where he is tomorrow and we’ll reevaluate it from there.”

The Bears may have dodged a bullet there. Montgomery is coming off a 15-rush, 122-yard performance against a solid Green Bay Packers defense, and while backup Khalil Herbert filled in capably, having them both in the backfield is best for a Bears offense that’s last in the league in passing (78.3 yards per game). Herbert rushed for 157 yards and two scores in relief, and with both he and Montgomery healthy, the Bears have one of the best one-two RB punches in the league.

Still, no official diagnosis for either Pringle or Montgomery has been released, so Chicago is hoping for the best.

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