LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears placed starting offensive lineman Ryan Bates on injured reserve Saturday, and called up a pair of players from the practice squad ahead of their Sunday night matchup against the Houston Texans.
After placing Bates on the IR, the Bears signed long snapper Scott Daly from the practice squad, on top of elevating wide receiver Collin Johnson as well.
Since he was placed on IR, Bates will miss a minimum of four games with what the team described as an elbow/shoulder injury on their Friday injury report. The first game he will be eligible to return for is Chicago’s game in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6.
Daly and Johnson’s additions to the roster make sense ahead of the Bears’ game in Houston.
Daly will start at long snapper for the second straight week for Patrick Scales, who is out recovering from back surgery. Johnson offers insurance depth at wideout since head coach Matt Eberflus said Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze will both be game time decisions Sunday.
“We’re going to take it up all the way to the game to see if they can go,” Eberflus said Friday. “[We’ll] potentially work them out before the game, and then we’ll see where they are prior to the game.”
Johnson was a star on the second episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears, where he caught a pair of touchdown passes during the team’s rain-shortened Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.
Kickoff for the Chicago Bears versus Houston Texans on Sunday night is set for 7:20 p.m. CT.