The Chicago Bears are making another signing just one day after suffering another linebacker injury in Week 12’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Bears signed former Washington Commanders fifth-round linebacker Dominique Hampton to their practice squad in a series of roster moves meant to bolster their practice squad on Monday, November 24.
Hampton was a 2024 fifth-round pick for the Commanders who fluctuated between safety and linebacker in his first NFL training camp before settling into the latter role. While he made their initial 53-man roster, though, he wound up playing only six total snaps — all on special teams — and was active for only a single game as a rookie.
The Bears also placed tight end Nikola Kalinic — whom they signed on November 22 — on the injured reserve/practice squad list and signed defensive end Jeremiah Martin and tight end Qadir Ismail to fill the remaining two open spots on their practice squad.
The Bears (8-3) will next face the Philadelphia Eagles (8-3) at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, November 28 for a special Black Friday kickoff in Week 13.
Bears LB Ruben Hyppolite Injured in Win Over Steelers
The Bears had plenty of linebacker problems coming into Week 12’s matchup with the Steelers, having ruled out all three of their top starters — Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell — with injuries that sidelined them all week in practice.
It didn’t take long for them to find another one in Sunday’s first half, though.
Early in the first quarter, Bears fourth-round rookie linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II took a shot to his shoulder on contact with Steelers running back Jaylen Warren that left him down on the field for a period of time while the team’s medical staff attended to him.
Hyppolite eventually came out of the game and was deemed to have a shoulder injury, one that kept him sidelined for the remainder of the Bears’ 31-28 victory.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson did not have any updates on Hyppolite in the postgame or the following morning when he spoke with reporters, but the Bears will release their first injury report for their matchup with the Eagles after November 25’s first practice.
Will Bears Get Healthier at LB Before Eagles Game?
The Bears will have only a few days to prepare for the Eagles on Black Friday. Can they potentially get some good news at linebacker before the end of the short week, though?
Edwards, Sewell and Hyppolite are all expected to be listed in Week 13’s injury report, but how much each participates in practice could indicate their game-day statuses.
Edwards has not practiced in two weeks since re-injuring his hamstring and fracturing his hand, but the Bears have indicated he will play through his hand injury with a cast when they clear him of his hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Sewell missed all of last week’s practices and is on the mend with an elbow injury that he sustained in Week 11’s win.
At a minimum, the Bears will play without Edmunds, who must miss at least the next three games after the team placed him on the injured reserve list with a groin injury on November 22. If any two of their other three injured linebackers are unavailable against the Eagles this week, though, they could look to promote from their practice squad.
Bears Sign Ex-Commanders LB After More Injuries in Win Over Steelers