Matt Nagy hints the injury to Akiem Hicks is as serious as feared
The Chicago Bears defense really missed Akiem Hicks against the Oakland Raiders when he left the game with an elbow injury. Replays of the incident did not look good. Initial diagnosis showed it was almost certainly a dislocation. Depending on the severity, that could take anywhere from one to two months to heal. That would be a serious blow to the defense. Not only is Hicks their second-best pass rusher, but he’s also one of their best run defenders as well.
There’s no getting around it. Him being gone for that length of time will be difficult to overcome. Especially with the array of talented offenses coming up like the Saints, Chargers, Eagles, Lions, and Rams. Head coach Matt Nagy did an interview on WBBM News radio with Josh Liss to provide the first team update coming out of the bye. He confirmed the team would be putting right guard Kyle Long on injured reserve due to his ongoing hip problem.
When the subject of Hicks came up? Nagy sounded like a man resigned to the fact that the star 29-year old defensive end would be out for a while.
That wasn’t the only indicator though. A previous evening, Hicks sent out a tweet stating his injury was “unfortunate and frustrating.” It didn’t seem like much at the time, but Nagy’s revelation would seem to indicate the defensive end was cryptically confirming he was going to miss some time.
Bears defense can survive without Akiem Hicks
The good news is the Bears defense is still a talented bunch. They have Khalil Mack, Eddie Goldman, Danny Trevathan, Roquan Smith, Kyle Fuller, and Eddie Jackson. That should be enough to still play some good football. They just need to find a way to plug in the gap left by Hicks in the meantime. Veteran reserve Nick Williams has done an admirable job at that thus far, as has Roy Robertson-Harris. Further help could be coming with the anticipated return of Bilal Nichols from his broken hand injury.
This group proved against Minnesota two weeks ago that they could play at a high level with Hicks on the sideline. They also managed to shore things up after a terrible start against Oakland too. It’s a matter of doing the best they can and not letting themselves worry about his absence. They still have a job to do. Hopefully, they’ll start getting more help from the offense too, which has been far too silent through the first five games.