CHICAGO _ Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks missed Wednesday's practice for "precautionary" reasons after an injury to his Achilles tendon popped up in the morning, coach Matt Nagy said Thursday.
Nagy indicated Hicks might miss much or all of Thursday's practice, too, as the Bears prepare to face the Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
"We just felt like with where he's at, it would be good to give him a day and help him out there," Nagy said.
Nagy said he didn't see reason for concern, but any ailment to Hicks is worth tracking just because of the impact he has had on the team this season.
Hicks has 39 tackles, four sacks and three forced fumbles in his third season with the Bears. He is a major part of the run defense, which will be tested this week against Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Hicks has been able to fight through injuries in the past but said he doesn't know how much pain Hicks is in now.
"If he's injured to a significant degree, yeah, it will hinder him," Fangio said. "He's got a way to rally about himself and can kind of ignore whatever bumps and bruises he has going. He's a tough guy."
Fangio said he didn't think the Bears run defense was up to par in the second half against the Lions last week, so the Bears will need to clean up their issues before facing Barkley.
Barkley, the No. 2 pick in this year's draft out of Penn State, has 171 carries for 829 yards and eight touchdowns and 71 catches for 581 yards and four touchdowns.
He's 6-foot and weighs 233 pounds, but Fangio said he runs like a much smaller back.
"It's going to take all 11 people to stop him," Fangio said. "This guy will take any handoff that's designed to go anywhere and the ball could end up anywhere. ... He's as good as advertised. He's got speed, power, elusiveness, so he's everything that he was made out to be."
