Bears place guard Dakota Dozier on injured reserve following minicamp injury

The Bears have placed guard Dakota Dozier on injured reserve after he suffered an apparent injury at last week’s veteran minicamp in Lake Forest. Dozier needed to be carted off the field on June 14 and couldn’t put much weight on his left leg.

It was a tough blow to suffer in the spring, when NFL teams aren’t allowed to wear full pads or tackle. Dozier had been battling for a job as the starting right guard, splitting time at the position with Sam Mustipher.

In a corresponding move, the Bears signed cornerback Jayson Stanley. At five previous NFL stops, the 25-year-old has spent most of his three-year career on practice squads. He appeared in eight games with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020.

When former Bears lineman James Daniels signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency, it created a hole on the Bears’ offensive line at right guard. The Bears flirted with restricted free agent Ryan Bates, but the Bills ultimately matched their offer. When that deal fell through, they signed the 31-year-old Dozier.

Dozier came to Chicago with eight years of NFL experience for the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. He was a consistent starter only once during his career, the 2020 season in Minnesota. He lost that starting job a year later and appeared in only six games for the Vikings last season.

It’s unclear how long Dozier will be out for.