The Chicago Bears have been ravaged by injuries on defense this season, and, to make matters worse, they'll now be without defensive end Montez Sweat for two games after he violated the NFL's performance enhancing drugs policy.
Sweat will miss Sunday's game at the Atlanta Falcons and the following Thursday night game against the New England Patriots. He will be eligible for reinstatement on Friday, Oct. 23, following the Patriots game, which means he'd return for Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Head coach Ben Johnson sounded off on Sweat's suspension, noting that he hasn't spoken with Sweat and doesn't know if there will be an appeal.
"We're disappointed whenever we lose a player of his caliber for multiple games," Johnson said. "We want all
of our guys available and playing in ballgames to help us win. That's really what it is. Next man up and we keep moving."
With Sweat sidelined, it'll be third-year pro Austin Booker stepping into an expanded role for the next two weeks. Booker, who leads the Bears with four sacks, has only played 58% of defensive snaps this season, and that should change dramatically over the next two games.
Chicago is also expected to be without defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, who suffered a quad injury in last Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers. Johnson said Odeyingbo is expected to "miss some time."
"The good thing is we have really planned for this," Johnson said. "We've got some guys on the active roster that haven't even been active yet, some defensive linemen that we feel really strongly about and what they did during training camp. This might be their opportunity as well."
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson reacts to Bears DE Montez Sweat's PED suspension
