Bears DT Andrew Billings will have surgery on injured pec; tackles Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright remain out

LAKE FOREST – Chicago Bears defensive tackle Andrew Billings will have surgery on his injured pectoral muscle, head coach Matt Eberflus said Wednesday. It’s entirely possible that Billings’ 2024 season is over, although Eberflus would not confirm that.

Losing Billings is a big blow for the defense. The 6-foot-1, 311-pound defensive tackle is a pretty unique piece for this defense. A stout space eater who is surprisingly effect in the pass rush, Billings could pretty much do it all. His addition last year was a big reason why the Bears were the No. 1 defense against the run in 2023.

The run defense has taken a step back in 2024, but Billings still has been effective. He has generated 13 pressures this season, per NFL Next Gen Stats. That ranks fourth on the team. He had 13 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble in the first eight games.

“It’s the brutal part about this game,” Bears linebacker TJ Edwards said. “He’s our guy. He makes a lot of good things happen, but that group is so close that I know there’s going to be guys stepping up to fill that void. He’ll be with us every step of the way. That’s the brutal part about this.”

He’s our guy. He makes a lot of good things happen, but that group is so close that I know there’s going to be guys stepping up to fill that void.”

—  TJ Edwards, Bears linebacker

Without Billings, the Bears will have to rely on backup defensive tackles Zacch Pickens and Chris Williams to pick up the slack.

Eberflus confirmed that the injury is a torn pec. He and general manager Ryan Poles will discuss Billings’ future after he has surgery this week. But it seems likely Billings will head to injured reserve and likely miss the final nine games of the season. A fully torn pec is typically a season-ending injury with a recovery time of several months.

“He’s getting surgery here and we’ll decide what we’re going to do,” Eberflus said.

The Bears gave Billings a two-year contract extension at this time last year, so the 29-year-old is under team control through the 2025 season.

Bears offensive tackles sidelined

Both starting offensive tackles sat out practice Wednesday at Halas Hall. Both left tackle Braxton Jones and right tackle Darnell Wright are dealing with knee injuries. Jones injured his knee against Washington and sat out Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, while Wright injured his knee Sunday against Arizona.

In addition to the starting tackles, safety Jaquan Brisker remains sidelined with a concussion. Brisker suffered a concussion on Oct. 6 against the Carolina Panthers and has not practiced since. Offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie (calf), cornerback Jaylon Jones (shoulder) and Billings (pec) also sat out practice Wednesday.

In good news, defensive end Montez Sweat (shin) and cornerback Kyler Gordon (hamstring) returned to practice. Neither of them played Sunday against Arizona. Both were limited participants Wednesday.

Linebacker Noah Sewell (knee), cornerback Terell Smith (ankle) and defensive end Darrell Taylor (knee) were also limited.

Interior offensive linemen Ryan Bates (shoulder) and Teven Jenkins (knee) were full participants in practice.