The Bears have their first major injury of training camp as interior offensive lineman Eric Kush suffered a torn hamstring on Monday.
Kush, who signed a two-year deal with the Bears this offseason, will undergo season-ending surgery after tearing the hamstring off the bone. The Bears placed him on IR and signed undrafted rookie OL Brandon Greene.
It's great that second-year offensive lineman Cody Whitehair is as versatile as he is, because if Kyle Long can't answer the bell to start the regular season, the former second round pick could be back where he was slated to start as a rookie last season.
Kush was going to be the left guard if Long needed time beyond the September 10 opener to be game-ready. But in Monday's practice, we saw Whitehair slide over from the center position he took over in Week 1 a year ago after Hroniss Grasu's knee injury and the signing of Josh Sitton. Grasu replaced Whitehair at center in those instances Monday in Bourbonnais.
We're not sure how big a roster bubble Grasu would've been on if everyone made it through the preseason, including Long getting the green light. His case now is definitely strengthened, unfortunately at the cost of Kush.
But before we play the very first preseason game Thursday, the offensive line can't really afford another injury hit. Depth in the middle of a unit that was projected to be one of their strengths would suddenly look a little thin. Waiver wire pickups Will Poehls and Cyril Richardson are next men up, with Richardson's 12 games and four starts the only regular season action between them.