Bears put Cody Whitehair on IR, N’Keal Harry designated to return

The Chicago Bears announced on Wednesday that they placed left guard Cody Whitehair on injured reserve while designating wide receiver N’Keal Harry to return from IR. This opens a three-week window the team now has to activate Harry to their 53-man roster.

Whitehair injured his knee in the first half of the Giants game on Sunday, and with him out the Bears will have Lucas Patrick fill in at that position. This means Teven Jenkins should be in for all the right guard snaps while Sam Mustipher remains at center.

Head coach Matt Eberflus indicated that Whitehair’s injury wouldn’t end his season, but a stint on IR means he’ll miss a minimum of four games.

Other rostered options at guard are rookie Ja’Tyre Carter and veteran Michael Schofield III, with their practice squad having o-linemen Kellen Diesch, Dieter Eiselen, Michael Niese, and Zachary Thomas all waiting for a call-up.

Harry had tightrope surgery on his ankle on August 11, and Dr. Mason West said an eight-week timetable to return was likely. Tomorrow is eight weeks, so it’s possible Harry could be placed on the 53-man roster for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

I’m sure Mason will get into more about these injuries on Thursday’s Bear Bones, live at 5:00 pm (CT) on our 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel. Stop by and bring your questions!