Bears place LB Jerrell Freeman on injured reserve

CHICAGO -- The Bears placed Jerrell Freeman on injured reserve Tuesday after the inside linebacker suffered a pectoral injury and a concussion in Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Freeman becomes the third Chicago starter to land on injured reserve, joining wide receivers Cameron Meredith (knee) and Kevin White (shoulder fracture).

Second-year linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski is expected to take Freeman's spot in the starting lineup against the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday. Chicago also elevated third-year linebacker Jonathan Anderson to the active roster Tuesday.

Losing Freeman for the year will be tough for the Bears to overcome. The 31-year-old linebacker led the team with 127 tackles last year…