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The Chicago Bears fear rookie center Doug Kramer has suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
The Bears selected Kramer out of the University of Illinois with the 207th pick in the sixth round of the 2022 draft, and with starting center Lucas Patrick out indefinitely, the rookie had been serving as the team’s backup at the position.
A Hinsdale, Illinois native, Kramer played more snaps in the Bears’ preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs than any other offensive player (he played 48, which was 73% of the team’s offensive snaps). Sam Mustipher will fill in as the starter for Patrick, but the team’s depth at center just took a significant hit. If he does wind up missing his rookie season, it would be a huge blow for Kramer, who grew up a fan of the team.
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Kramer: Playing for Bears Is ‘Dream Come True’
After getting drafted by the team he rooted for since he was a kid, the 24-year-old Kramer couldn’t hold back his excitement.
“Most days I’ll have a moment where I’ll kinda catch something new, like a little detail, and just it hits me where I’m like, ‘You’re a Chicago Bear,'” Kramer said, per Gene Chamberlain of Sports Illustrated. “And that’s awesome, you know what I mean? It’s a dream come true. It’s hard to even think that I’m at this point, but it’s great to be here and just taking it step by step.”
The injury, which head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed would keep Kramer out for a significant period of time, is a blow to the team and the player, who had just started living the dream.
“It’s what you do, but there’s an added level of it’s the NFL, it’s the Chicago Bears, you’ve been preparing for it your whole life,” the young center added. “Now, it’s here.”
Hopefully, Kramer’s injury isn’t too serious and he can return at some point this coming season, but it doesn’t look good for the rookie.
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Bears Just Signed Free Agent OL, May Have to Add Another
The Bears announced on August 16 they had signed former Tulane center/guard Corey Dublin, an undrafted free agent. Dublin played 806 snaps (450 pass block, 340 run block) on offense last season for the Green Wave, earning a 65.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
With Mustipher the team’s only healthy player at center listed on the depth chart, it’s likely Dublin will see action in Chicago’s second preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks coming up on Thursday, August 18.
It’s also probable that Chicago will be looking to sign another versatile O-linemen or two with both Patrick and Kramer out, so watch for the Bears to bring a few more free agents in off the street in the coming days.
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