During Sunday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, the Chicago Bears and their secondary unit suffered a blow to their depth at the cornerback position when Terrell Smith was carted off the field.

Ben Johnson confirmed that Smith will be placed on injured reserve and miss the entirety of the season with a torn patellar tendon.

The former fifth-round pick in 2023 out of Minnesota has carved a roster spot in his two seasons in Chicago. With a total of 68 career tackles, 10 pass deflections, and a forced fumble, Smith got his first career interception last season in week 11 against the Green Bay Packers.

Smith started four games in his rookie season and appeared in 12, and last season played in 14 games, making two starts. He was on his way to once again proving he deserves more playing time, putting together a strong showing in training camp and preseason.

Other Bears news

Running back Deion Hankins, who played in both series with the starters Sunday night, suffered a quad injury, thus moving him to injured reserve.

In response, Chicago, which tried out running back Royce Freeman on Tuesday, has signed with the team’s 90-man roster. Freeman, 29, had a brief stint with Chicago back in December on the team’s practice squad.

Cornerback Kyler Gordan returned to practice today, Gordan has been sidelined since before the joint practice against the Miami Dolphins with a hamstring injury.