As the anticipation of Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks’ return grows, they’re eying several other situations heading toward the Dec. 15 game at Green Bay.
The height of their concern is at linebacker, where Roquan Smith is likely lost for the season because of an injured pectoral muscle. Smith was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game after getting hurt early in the 31-24 win over the Cowboys.
Bears coach Matt Nagy, normally as optimistic as possible about an injury, indicated from the beginning this was a bad one. The Bears are waiting on additional medical tests, but there’s a strong chance they will put Smith on Injured Reserve by Dec.