The Chicago Bears already knew they wouldn’t have defensive end Montez Sweat for the next two games due to a suspension, and the news on the defensive line got even worse one day ahead of the team’s road contest against the Atlanta Falcons.

On the day Chicago brought cornerback Kyler Gordon back to the active roster following a five-game absence due to a calf injury, the Bears made the room to do so by sending starting defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo to the injured reserve list with a quadriceps injury that knocked him out of last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers.

“The Bears made room on the 53 for Kyler Gordon by putting Dayo Odeyingbo on IR, a move that Ben Johnson felt they would be able to avoid earlier in the week,” Courtney Cronin of ESPN reported via X on Saturday, October 17. “Safety Xavier Woods was also released. DB Nick McCloud was signed to the 53 from the PS. LB Buddy Johnson and RB Zavier Scott were elevated from the PS to game day roster.”

Dayo Odeyingbo Will Miss at Least Next 4 Games

Odeyingbo, who recently turned 27 years old, had come back strong from an Achilles tendon tear he suffered during the middle of last season that ended his 2025 campaign. The defensive end played poorly to start his Bears tenure, tallying just one sack prior to his injury and after inking a three-year deal worth $48 million to join Chicago’s defense last season.

He produced 14 quarterback pressures, nine hurries, three sacks and three tackles for loss across his first five contests this year — contribution that has proven significant for an incomplete roster on the defensive side of the football.

Now, all of that goes away for at least four weeks while Odeyingbo heads to IR. His quadriceps injury isn’t likely as serious as his Achilles problem last season, but the designation means that Odeyingbo will miss the next four games heading into the Bears’ Week 10 bye.

So, best-case scenario, Chicago won’t see the DE back on the gridiron until the team takes on the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field on November 22.

Quad Injury Could Easily Prove Beginning of End for Dayo Odeyingbo in Chicago

A second serious injury in Chicago could be an ominous sign for Odeyingbo’s future with the franchise.

The Bears can save $15 million by cutting the defensive end ahead of June 1 of next year, which might not have been the team’s prerogative had he remained healthy and continued playing like the player they paid big money to acquire a couple offseasons back.

But assuming Odeyingbo can return by Week 11, he will have played in exactly half of the team’s regular season games since his signing (13 games on, 13 game out) while also missing both of the Bears’ playoff appearances.

He is going to finish out the year in Chicago, without question. But it is going to be difficult to justify holding onto Odeyingbo given his record of health and production with those kinds of savings staring the Bears in the face.

Odeyingbo’s current injury also renders Chicago an even more likely candidate to deal for a defensive end/pass-rusher ahead of the NFL’s November 10 trade deadline.