The Chicago Bears remain the No. 2-ranked rushing outfit in the NFL through eight games, but injuries have impeded that element of the offense for weeks, and a new one just came down on Thursday.
Chicago sent Zavier Scott to the injured reserve list (IR) with a thumb injury that will cost the former Minnesota Vikings running back, who joined the Bears this offseason, a minimum of four games. Meanwhile, RB2 Kyle Monangai has missed four consecutive outings with turf toe and carries a designation of “questionable” into the weekend.
The Bears know that starting running back D’Andre Swift will be available against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Sunday Night Football,” as will Roschon Johnson. The team made a move to guard against Monangai’s possible absence by elevating another member of the position group from its practice squad to the active roster.
Ahmed is a standard practice-squad gameday elevation and, per NFL regulation, will revert back to the club’s practice squad after the game.
“The #Bears have elevated RB Salvon Ahmed from the practice squad for Sunday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Chicago wrote on the team’s official X account on Saturday, November 7. “Ahmed is a standard practice-squad game-day elevation and, per NFL regulation, will revert back to the club’s practice squad after the game.”
Salvon Ahmed Has Had Some NFL Success, but Hasn’t Played Regular-Season Snap Since 2023
Ahmed entered the league in 2020 as an undrafted free agent and spent the next four seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
He has tallied 593 rushing yards and five TDs on a career average of 3.6 yards per attempt. He also has 40 catches for 274 yards and one score across 38 games played, including four starts. However, the 27 year old last played a regular-season snap in the NFL during the 2023 campaign.
The Bears probably will not need to lean much on Ahmed, if at all, against the Buccaneers. Though, it is a possibility if Monangai can’t go.
Bears Incentivized to Keep Kyle Monangai Out Against Buccaneers, Add 2 More Weeks to Recovery Time
Unfortunately for Chicago fans and the team’s run game, it probably makes sense for the Bears to hold Monangai out another week, as Chicago enters a bye in Week 10 following its home contest against Tampa Bay Sunday night.
Sitting him allows another two weeks of healing time for an injury that is notorious for its potential to linger and re-occur.
The Bears are 6-2 on the season. They are also six-point home favorites to move to seven wins on the year as of Saturday evening, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
Chicago then gets some much-deserved time off before returning to host the New Orleans Saints (2-5) at Soldier Field on November 22. The Bears will also unquestionably enter that contest as strong betting favorites.
The following seven games of schedule are daunting, with two against the division rival Detroit Lions, Jaguars (home), Bills (road), Packers (home) and Vikings (road) to finish out the year. The only real soft spot after the Saints in Week 11 is a road game in Miami against the Dolphins on December 13.
Bears Add RB to Roster Before Bucs Game After Multiple Injuries