Bears place Leonard Floyd on injured reserve

By AP
Published

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) Outside linebacker Leonard Floyd was placed on injured reserve Thursday by the Chicago Bears, ending his season because of a knee injury.

Floyd suffered a knee injury Sunday in a 27-24 loss at Soldier Field to the Detroit Lions. He was attempting to make a tackle on a running play and collided with teammate Kyle Fuller.

Bears coach John Fox said on Monday that Floyd did not suffer a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but the damage to the knee is severe enough to keep him from playing again this season.

Floyd, the ninth overall pick in the 2016 draft, had 4+ sacks this season and had seven as a rookie.

The Bears have promoted outside linebacker Howard Jones from their practice squad to take Floyd's spot on the 53-man roster. Jones had five sacks in 2016 with Tampa Bay. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Jones played last season with Tampa Bay, as well, but suffered a season-ending torn ACL in November.

The Bears have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Demarcus Ayers to their practice squad. Ayers had six catches for 53 yards with a touchdown last season in two games with Pittsburgh.

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