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With a 34-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night, the Chicago Bears wrapped up the preseason with a perfect 4-0 record, only their third unblemished preseason since 1994. Unfortunately, in the win, three roster hopefuls sustained serious injuries that will send them to the season-ending injured reserve.
“The Bears are placing Ian Wheeler (ACL), Nsimba Webster (groin) and Douglas Coleman (neck) on injured reserve,” tweets ESPN's Courtney Cronin.
Players placed on injured reserve before the final 53-man roster is set are not allowed to return to the active roster. Once the roster is set, players placed on IR can return to play once they have missed at least four games.
Coleman is perhaps the most notable name here simply because of the severity of his injury. On the first play of the 2nd half in Chicago's preseason finale against the Chiefs, Coleman made a tackle on wide receiver Cornell Powell.
Initially, Coleman didn't have the ability to move any of his limbs, but by the time he was stretchered off the field, he was able to give a thumbs up to his teammates and coaches. The 26-year-old safety spent Thursday night in a Kansas City hospital before flying back to Chicago on Friday.
Coleman was named 1st Team All-Big 12 in his final season at Texas Tech but went unselected in the 2020 NFL Draft. Since then, Coleman has spent two seasons playing in the Canadian Football League for the Ottawa Redblacks, and the Bears signed him back in January.
It's unfortunate that this is the way that Coleman's journey, at least in 2024, will end. Hopefully, he'll be able to make a full recovery and realize his NFL dream next season. The same goes for Wheeler and Webster as well.
Bears lose potential offensive depth pieces in Ian Wheeler, Nsimba Webster
Given the fantastic work Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has done in building a tremendous supporting cast of weapons for prized rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, it wasn't going to be as easy to make the Bears 53-man roster this year as it has been in previous seasons. That made the paths for Ian Wheeler and Nsimba Webster all the more challenging.
Ian Wheeler had quickly become a fan favorite after HBO's documentary series Hard Knocks gave viewers a peak at the rookie running back/future doctor's awesome story. Wheeler finished the preseason with 12 carries for 52 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Nsimba Webster went undrafted in 2019 before signing with the Los Angeles Rams, briefly reuniting with former Eastern Washington teammate Cooper Kupp. Since 2021, Webster has been with the Bears in some form or fashion, mostly contributing on special teams and as a member of the practice squad.
