Gumbo
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Bears downgraded inside linebacker Roquan Smith to out Saturday. He will not play Sunday against the Saints.
The Bears also announced they won’t have rookie receiver Darnell Mooney as he, too, didn’t make the trip.
Neither practiced all week, and the team had listed them as questionable on Friday’s status report.
Smith injured his left elbow in the first quarter against the Packers in Week 17. He made 139 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble this season.
“There’s complete domination in the way he’s playing,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said of Smith this week, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s playing on another level. So when you lose that, that’s part of football.”
The Bears promoted inside linebacker Manti Te’o off the practice squad. Te’o, who played for the Saints from 2017-19, is expected to back up either Josh Woods, who is questionable with toe and glute injuries, or Joel Iyiegbuniwe.
Mooney injured his ankle in the fourth quarter against the Packers. He made 61 catches for 631 yards and four touchdowns this season.