Bears Suffer Devastating Season-Ending Injury Loss Before Week 10 Game

The Chicago Bears decided to stand pat on Tuesday's trade deadline and opted to keep their roster together for the second half of the season. The only meaningful transaction was moving on from talented running back Khalil Herbert for a seventh-round pick from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Sitting at 4-4 and in the bottom of the NFC North, the Bears are entering a crucial stretch of the season. They have yet to play a division game so far, and after their Week 10 clash with the New England Patriots, they have all six NFC North games in the following eight weeks.

While that slate of games will determine whether Chicago will end its playoff drought, they will have to do so without a key veteran. Starting defensive tackle Andrew Billings will reportedly miss the rest of the season with a pectoral muscle injury, per Bears insider Brad Biggs. Head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed the injury and said Billings will have surgery soon.

Bears News: DT Andrew Billings Out for Season

This is a big blow for the Bears. Billings started all eight games this season alongside Gervon Dexter Sr. as the interior defensive lineman, recording one sack, one forced fumble, two tackles for loss, and three QB hits. The 29-year-old veteran had signed a two-year contract extension worth $8.5 million during the 2023 season. He ended up starting all 17 games last year in his first season as a Chicago Bear.

Now, Chris Williams will likely move into a starting role on the defensive line going forward. Zacch Pickens will presumably see an extended role in the rotation as well.

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