Rookie Eddie Goldman’s role with the Bears early in the season is set to be a big one with Jeremiah Ratliff earning a three-game suspension from the league as a result of a DUI, but he’ll need to be healthy to get starts on the defensive line.
Right now, Goldman isn’t healthy. He suffered a concussion against the Bengals on Saturday night and will be out of the lineup until he passes through the league’s concussion protocol. Goldman started at nose tackle and helped the team keep Jeremy Hill out of the end zone on three runs inside the three-yard line in the first quarter before Andy Dalton was able to push the ball across on fourth down.
Ratliff started the game at defensive end, but he also left early with an injury to his ankle.
“It’s not broken,” coach John Fox said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “I don’t know how much we would have played in him in the last preseason game. ... He’s going to have a minute to heal.”
Thanks to the suspension, Ratliff has more than a minute to heal while the Bears will find themselves quite thin up front if Goldman isn’t able to make a quick return to the lineup.