Chicago Bears: Akiem Hicks injury the cause for roster move

With the uncertainty of Akiem Hicks’ availability for Sunday, the Chicago Bears signed Jonathan Harris off the practice squad.

The Chicago Bears have a big test on Sunday as they face off against a 2-1 Minnesota Vikings team. Whichever team comes out with a victory will be tied with the Packers atop the NFC North. Technically the Packers will have the lead due to tiebreakers but it’s too early in the season to worry about that.

What the Bears do need to worry about is how they are going to stop Dalvin Cook on Sunday. Cook is currently the NFL rushing leader. He has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in all three games this season.

Normally, there would be little concern, but the Chicago Bears are dealing with some major blows to their defensive line. Bilal Nichols was already out with a hand injury. Akiem Hicks left and never returned in the Washington game due to a nagging knee injury. Right now he is a game-time decision for the matchup against the Vikings.

With uncertainty about his availability for Sunday, the Bears made a roster move today. They cut Bradley Sowell for the second time in less than a week to make room to promote defensive lineman  Jonathan Harris off the practice squad.

Harris is an undrafted free agent and adds an insurance policy to a defensive line that may be down two starters. The hope is Harris never sees the field, but stopping Dalvin Cook and putting the game in Kirk Cousins hands has to be Chuck Pagano’s priority.

The Bears must also be thinking long-term when it comes to Hicks’ knee injury. They cannot risk losing Hicks for the entire season by playing him Sunday if he’s not healthy enough. I believe they have two options. Hicks is clearly not fully healthy or he would not be a game-time decision. If he is healthy enough to go, I still think the team needs to keep him on a limited snap count.

The other option is that the Bears keep Hicks out of the game altogether. Losing Hicks for this game would be a big blow, but the defense should be good enough to stop Cook without him. Both Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan have great closing speed and move sideline to sideline better than most inside linebackers. Those two will be in for a busy day, but I think they can handle it.

Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears are clearly preparing for the worst. This is why, after re-signing Bradley Sowell this week, they cut him just days later to make room for more defensive line depth. Whether Hicks plays limited snaps or not at all, the Bears should be able to give him some much-needed rest for his knee.

After the Bears play the Vikings on Sunday, they will be traveling to London to take on the Raiders in Week 5. That game is not looking to be as big of a pushover as fans may think. Plus, traveling to another country can always play a factor in the outcome of the game. The long hours on the plane and the jetlag can cause some serious problems. That said, Khalil Mack might dominate the game on his own out of revenge.

After Week 5, the Bears have their bye week. If Hicks gets away with not having to play Sunday or in London, he can have almost a full month to rest his knee. Hopefully, that is enough for him to get healthy for the rest of the season. Think of it like last year when the Bears held out Khalil Mack with his ankle or Allen Robinson with his groin. Sometimes teams have to think long-term.

The season only gets more difficult from here. Chicago will definitely need Hicks for most of the year if they plan to continue with any thoughts of winning a Super Bowl.