Bears prepare for 'dynamic' Lamar Jackson, who is back at practice; kicker Cairo Santos may return

Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune on Oct 22, 2025

Published in Football

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CHICAGO — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since straining his hamstring Sept. 28 against Kansas City.

That’s particularly relevant to the Chicago Bears, who will take on the Ravens at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Baltimore.

Since injuring his hamstring, Jackson missed two games and the Ravens had a bye week, which allowed some additional rest. The Ravens lost both games without Jackson and fell to 1-5 on the season. A team with championship aspirations is now in desperate need of a mid-season revival. Getting their two-time MVP quarterback back on the field would certainly be a start.

The Ravens listed Jackson as a limited participant in practice. Coach Ben Johnson and the Bears are expecting to see him on Sunday.

“We’ll approach it that he’s starting for them,” Johnson said Wednesday. “That’s our starting point.”

Jackson has thrown for 10 touchdowns and one interception in four starts this season. His 10.78 air yards per attempt leads the NFL. In the three games that Jackson played from start to finish, the Ravens scored 30 points in each and 40 points in two of them.

The Ravens offense wasn’t the same without him in the last two games.

“He’s that dynamic as a quarterback as a runner, in my opinion, the best mobile quarterback in NFL history,” Bears safety Kevin Byard said. “So I think the main thing is to understand that the only thing you can do is try to slow him down, especially when he’s running.”

Jackson has never faced the Bears. The Bears and the Ravens played only once since Jackson entered the league in 2018, and Jackson missed that 2021 matchup at Soldier Field due to an illness. Backup Tyler Huntley started in place of Jackson that afternoon and led the Ravens to a 16-13 win.

If Jackson does play, the Ravens may take their time before declaring him good to go. Coach John Harbaugh probably doesn’t want to give the Bears any advanced notice.

“They’re going to put the best guy out there,” Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “At the end of the day we have to prep for what we expect. I’m sure he wants to play. We’ll prepare for the best option.”

Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith was a full participant in practice and is expected to be back after missing two games with a hamstring injury. The former Bears linebacker will be facing his old team for the first time this week.

“He is fast,” Johnson said of Smith. “I think that’s what stands out. He diagnoses quickly: See ball, get ball, sideline to sideline.”

Bears general manager Ryan Poles traded Smith to Baltimore at the trade deadline in 2022. Poles was in his first year as the GM and the Bears were in the midst of a major roster overhaul. Smith has been a first-team All-Pro in each of the past three seasons.

Bears injury updates: DJ Moore, D’Andre Swift highlight absent starters

The Bears were without several starters when they returned to the practice field Wednesday at Halas Hall. Notably, top offensive weapons in receiver DJ Moore (hip), running back D’Andre Swift (groin) and tight end Cole Kmet (back) all missed practice. Running back Roschon Johnson (back) also sat out Wednesday.

For the defense, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (shoulder) did not participate in practice.

Moore and Swift were both on the injury report last week as well, and both did play in Sunday’s win over New Orleans. Stevenson and Kmet both exited the Saints game early due to their injuries.

Jarrett (knee), offensive tackle Braxton Jones (knee), kicker Cairo Santos (right thigh) and cornerback Nahshon Wright (hip) were listed as limited participants. Defensive end Austin Booker (knee) and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (knee), who are on injured reserve, were full participants.

Linebacker Noah Sewell, who missed last week’s game with a concussion, was not listed on the injury report.

Santos kicked during practice on Wednesday and said he’s optimistic that he’ll be good to go on Sunday. The Bears will be closely monitoring how his thigh injury reacts as the week of practice goes along.

Santos missed the past two games after injuring his thigh during Week 4 in Las Vegas. Practice squad kicker Jake Moody has handled kicks over the past two games while Santos worked through the injury. Moody went 8-for-9 on field-goal attempts over those two games.

“I feel good about how the week started today for me kicking and hopefully trending (positively), continue to stack these good days and be good Sunday,” Santos said.

Santos was appreciative of the support he received from Johnson and the coaching staff over the last two weeks. Johnson declared a week ago that Santos will remain the starting kicker when healthy, squashing any thoughts of a kicker competition. With Moody available on the practice squad, there was no reason to rush Santos back from the injury.

Santos described it as an injury to his adductor muscle.

“Just had to let it heal up and strengthen enough to sustain the load of kicking,” Santos said. “It’s the muscle that we use the most, so aggressively, that you’ve got to respect it.”

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