The Chicago Bears have been decimated by injuries in their linebacker rotation. Tremaine Edmunds, Noah Sewell, and TJ Edwards have all missed the last two weeks, forcing the Bears to dig deeper into their bench and rely on backups like D'Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga. The absences also presented an opportunity for rookie LB Ruben Hyppolite, but he hasn't been able to make the most of it. He lasted 13 snaps against the Steelers in Week 12 before exiting the game early with a shoulder injury and missing Friday's clash against the Eagles.
Now, the Bears are getting healthier in the linebacker room, but Hyppolite is not nearing a return. The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs reported on Wednesday that Sewell was listed as a full and Edwards as a limited participant on the estimated injury report. The Bears didn't practice on Wednesday, so this is an estimation of what each player's status would have been in a normal week. We should have a better idea about their availability for Week 14, but it's safe to say that Hyppolite is likely to miss a second straight game.
Ruben Hyppolite Will Find Snaps Hard to Come By in Last 5 Games
Another absence will push Hyppolite further down the depth chart. Having squandered this opportunity to carve out a role, the fourth-round pick may find it hard to see defensive snaps down the stretch. That's especially true considering how well D'Marco Jackson has played and how solid the Bears' defense looked in recent weeks. Hyppolite will understandably be an afterthought, even after his return from injury.
It has been a disappointing campaign for Hyppolite. The Bears' decision to reach for the former Maryland standout was criticized on draft day as he was projected to go much later in most mock drafts. Chicago trusted their board and selected Hyppolite, but he has stumbled out of the gate. He lost the third linebacker job to Sewell early on and hasn't been able to win it back.
Defensive snaps have been hard to come by for Hyppolite, who had only seen 18 before getting his first start in Week 12 against Pittsburgh. He received a 28.1 defensive grade on Pro Football Focus in his first career start, before leaving early for the locker room.
Player | PFF Grade |
|---|---|
T.J. Edwards | 75.1 |
D'Marco Jackson | 75.0 |
Tremaine Edmunds | 72.1 |
Amen Ogbongbemiga | 59.2 |
Ruben Hyppolite | 46.7 |
Noah Sewell | 41.3 |
Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen have been pressing all the right buttons on defense in recent weeks, seemingly integrating newcomer CJ Gardner-Johnson and returning Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson seamlessly. The looming returns of Edwards and Sewell may not be a good sign for Hyppolite, but they should further boost Chicago's defense that is already trending up.