Oct. 17--Ego Ferguson became the second defensive lineman to be placed on injured reserve by the Chicago Bears this season when he was shut down for the remainder of the year on Saturday.
The Bears had listed Ferguson as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field with a knee injury. He was held out of practice on Thursday and Friday and was limited on Wednesday. He appeared in four games and started at end in the Week 4 victory over the Oakland Raiders.
Taking Ferguson's place on the roster is Bruce Gaston, a Chicago native who played at Purdue and was signed off the practice squad of the Green Bay Packers. Gaston made Green Bay's roster out of training camp but was released earlier this month to make room for wide receiver Jared Abbrederis and re-signed to the practice squad. He appeared in two regular-season games and had one sack and four quarterback hits in preseason.
An undrafted free agent in 2014, he has also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals. NFL rules mandate that Gaston must be on the Bears' 53-man roster for a minimum of three weeks because they signed him off another team's practice squad. This week, the Houston Texans signed defensive lineman Brandon Dunn off the Bears' practice squad.
Ferguson, the club's second-round draft pick in 2014, was credited with nine tackles, four of them solo this season. He appeared in all 16 games last season as a reserve and was credited with 27 tackles and two sacks.
Defensive end Cornelius Washington was placed on injured reserve after the season opener. The Bears now have a total of nine players on IR.
bmbiggs@tribpub.com
