Chicago Bears update on injury to Douglas Coleman III and a unit where Matt Eberflus has 'concern'

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - It was a difficult evening for the Chicago Bears already on Thursday. It turned scary quickly.

Larry Borom and N'Simba Webster were carted off the field, dealing a blow to the Bears' offensive depth. Hard Knocks star Ian Wheeler also suffered an injury.

At the start of the third quarter, cornerback Douglas Coleman III was making a tackle after the first play from scrimmage and did not get up. He was carted off with a backboard, and both sidelines took a knee.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Coleman was sent an area hospital for further evaluation.

"When I was out on the field on the Chiefs sideline, he was moving his limbs and gave us a thumbs up," Eberflus said Thursday night. "But I don’t have anything more to that. He’s at the hospital being evaluated."

That thumbs up went a long way for the Bears.

"That was really uplifting to our football team," Eberflus said.

Matt Eberflus said on the Bernstein & Holmes Show Friday afternoon that Coleman has been released from the hospital and is traveling back to Chicago Friday.

Coleman signed a futures contract with the Bears in January. He played the last three seasons in the CFL and was battling with Greg Stroman and other cornerbacks for a spot on the final roster. His future will, at the very least, be announced on Tuesday as the roster gets cut to 53 players.

With the team hoping for good news on Coleman, they need to figure out depth at other positions.

Borom, the team's swing tackle last season, was expected to be the primary backup at tackle behind Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones. With him suffering an ankle injury that required a cart, this could affect roster cuts. Borom was already a fringe player entering the final year of his contract, and the severity of his injury puts his status in doubt.

Other offensive linemen like Bill Murray and Matt Pryor have played well in the preseason and in camp. Murray even got named personally by Eberflus as a player standing out. It remains to be seen if Borom did enough to outlast Pryor or Jake Curhan at tackle.

Wesbter, who played well before his injury Thursday, figured to have a difficult time making the roster behind a deep receiver room.

Still, one of the most notable injuries was to Wheeler, who was competing for one of the final running back spots. His knee injury puts his chances in question, but a spot on the practice squad could be in line for Wheeler instead.

However, there's one spot that requires attention now that the preseason is over. 

This week, defensive lineman Zacch Pickens did not practice. An injury kept him out for the last week of practice, and Eberflus is taking note of that.

"It’s not as strong and as deep as you would want," Eberflus said. "There is a concern."

With Gervon Dexter Sr. and Andrew Billings taking the starting spots, Pickens has been expected to take up a reserve role. If his injury affects his availability for Week 1, that would put the interior of the defensive line in a difficult spot.

The coming days should shine more light on how long Pickens could be out, as well as the severity of the other aforementioned injuries.