The Bears designated Herbert (ankle) for return from injured reserve Monday.

EDGE Analysis

The transaction opens a 21-day window in which the Bears can evaluate Herbert in practice. Given that the Bears are likely to hold walk-through sessions or light practices this week leading up to Thursday's game against the Panthers, Herbert may face an uphill battle to be activated from IR in advance of that contest. Even if Herbert is activated for Week 10 or at a later date, he may not be guaranteed to reclaim the lead role out of the backfield that belonged to him prior to his placement on IR in mid-October. D'Onta Foreman has served as the lead back for Chicago over the past four weeks and is averaging 15 carries for 67.8 yards per game while scoring three touchdowns during that span.