Running back Michael Bush was placed on season ending injured reserve on Tuesday with a ribs injury. He becomes the eighth Bear to be placed on injured reserve this season.
The injury is being referred to as cartilage damage in his ribs rather then broken ribs.
The Bears announced the signing of running back Kahlil Bell as well on Tuesday.
Bush hurt his ribs in the Bears’ 23-17 loss to the Seahawks in Week 13.
He appeared in 13 games this season, rushing 114 times for 411 yards and five touchdowns.
Bush had one carry in Week 14 and zero carries last week. He was dressed this past Sunday and wasn’t used in goal-line situations due to injury.
“He was in uniform but still we were going to use him only if we had to,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said via Chicagotribune.com, explaining the reason for not using Bush at the goal line. “Still wasn’t quite ready to go.”
Bush signed a four-year deal worth $14 million with $7 million guaranteed.
Bush’s injury is a tough loss for the Bears’ offense. We saw how weak they were in goal-line situations without him.
With Bush out for the year and Bell back will the Bears be able to run effectively down the stretch?
Bell has shown great speed and agility out of the backfield. He is a solid runner and receiver out of the backfield. The knock on him is his pass blocking abilities.
He spent the last month with the New York Jets after the Bears released him for the second time this season. He appeared in three games, reeling in one pass for two yards, while losing one fumble.
He appeared in two games with the Bears earlier this season, rushing 12 times for 32 yards. This is a big chance for Bell to prove his worth for the future whether its with the Bears or not.
It certainly won’t be easy without Bush, but Forte and Bell can carry the load. Also, second-year back Armando Allen showed some great skills on a screen pass last week against the Packers.
The injury bug has really hurt the Bears here lately, but they’re going to have to fight through it if they want to have a chance at the 2012 postseason.
Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.
