The Chicago Bears placed tight end Stephen Carlson (collarbone) on injured reserve Saturday ahead of their Week 4 home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Carlson, who was just signed from the team's practice squad this past Tuesday, suffered a serious collarbone injury during Thursday's practice and will now miss at least the next four contests. The earliest he is eligible to return will be Nov. 3 -- Chicago's Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. It's a crushing blow for the 27-year-old who was slated for his first NFL action since his time back in 2020 with the Cleveland Browns. The Bears will roll out their usual three-man tight-end rotation, with Cole Kmet set to take the majority of the snaps and Gerald Everett and Marcedes Lewis working in behind him.
The Chicago Bears cut tight end Stephen Carlson on Tuesday to trim their roster down to 53 players, according to a source. Carlson will likely be back on the practice squad if he clears waivers. Chicago will open the 2023 regular season with Cole Kmet atop the tight end depth chart, followed by Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis. Carlson had a strong training camp this summer and caught five passes for 47 yards in preseason action. The former undrafted free agent out of Princeton hasn't seen any NFL action since 2020. In his two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, he caught six of nine targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in 25 games (seven starts).
According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the Bears signed free-agent tight end Stephen Carlson to a one-year deal. The 26-year-old appeared in 25 games during his career, totaling only six catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL during training camp in 2021 and hasn't played since. With Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan on the roster, Carlson isn't expected to do much for fantasy managers this season, assuming he remains on the roster come Week 1.
Cleveland Browns tight end Stephen Carlson (knee) is expected to miss the remainder of the season. The 24-year-old injured his knee during Saturday's preseason matchup against Jacksonville and was observed leaving the stadium using crutches while wearing a large knee brace, although the exact nature of the ailment hasn't been revealed. The Princeton alum recently signed a one-year deal back in April but is merely on the roster as a special teams option while also serving as depth behind Austin Hooper and David Njoku. Carlson caught just one of his two targets throughout 16 games last season with the club, so it's likely there aren't many fantasy managers who will be upset.
The Cleveland Browns re-signed free-agent defensive tackle Sheldon Day and tight end Stephen Carlson to undisclosed deals on Wednesday on the same day they inked Pro Bowl edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney to a deal worth up to $10 million. Day was on the team's practice squad after signing with Cleveland late last season. He last played for the Indianapolis Colts and has five years of NFL experience. Carlson was tendered earlier this offseason as an exclusive-rights free agent. In his two seasons with the Browns, he has six catches. He also played over 80 percent of the team's special teams snaps last year. Both players will serve as depth at their respective positions in 2021.
Stephen Carlson
• TE
•
Bears
