Bears place veteran LB on IR with hamstring injury

The Bears have gained a roster spot while losing a veteran linebacker. Austin Calitro has been placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, per a club announcement.

Calitro suffered the injury in Saturday’s preseason loss to the Bills. Before that, Calitro was pushing to make the 80-man cut and pursue one of the final LB spots on the roster.

Calitro spent last season with the Broncos before joining up with the Bears in May. The 27-year-old is no stranger to changing teams — he even spent his first pro season (2017) with four different clubs (Jets, 49ers, Seahawks and Browns). The Seahawks gave him another chance in 2018 and he established himself as a legitimate NFL ‘backer. He appeared in all 16 games during that 2018 season (with five starts), compiling 45 tackles, 0.5 sacks and three tackles for loss.

He got into 13 games with the Jaguars in 2019, finishing with 40 tackles and one sack. His 2020 with the Broncos was less eventful — 13 games and just three tackles while playing exclusively on special teams. It’s not clear whether his injury is a true season-ender, but Calitro will be sidelined for an extended period.