Bears place Cohen on IR, elevate Pierce, and add 2 to the practice squad

On Tuesday the Chicago Bears made the expected move of Tarik Cohen to injured reserve official, and to take his place on the active roster they elevated rookie running back Artavis Pierce from the practice squad.

Cohen tore his right ACL in Atlanta when a Falcon rolled up on his leg after he signaled for a fair catch. There was no flag on the play as the referee ruled the Atlanta player was blocked into him.

Pierce signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent from Oregon State after a successful four year career with the Beavers that saw him run for 2,127 yards at 5.8 yards per carry, while catching 74 balls for 578 yards, and scoring 17 total touchdowns.

“Artavis is an explosive guy,” Chicago running backs coach Charles London said of Pierce over the summer. “He caught the ball well out of the backfield on tape, and I think the sky is the limit for him.”

With camp closed to the public, fans didn’t get to see what Pierce could do, but some of the Bears beat writers came away impressed with the undrafted rookie.

The Bears also added two veterans to their practice squad by signing linebacker Sharif Finch and defensive lineman Terry Beckner.

Finch (6’4”, 250) was originally an undrafted free agent pick up by the Titans in 2018, and during his two years in Tennessee he played in 23 games, with 3 starts, while compiling 40 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 4 QB hits, 6 tackles-for-loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He capped his collegiate career by getting 8.5 sacks his senior season at Temple.

Beckner (6’4”, 295) was a 7th-round pick of the Buccaneers in the 2019 NFL Draft after playing four years at Missouri where he picked up 120 tackles, 32 tackles-for-loss, 13.5 sacks, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble. He spent some of last season on the Bucs practice squad.

The Bears also protected one player from their practice squad this week, and just like last week it’s quarterback Tyler Bray.