Chris Conte Injury: Updates on Bears Safety's Shoulder and Return

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 28

The Bears announced Chris Conte's status for Week 4:

Updates from Thursday, Sept. 26

Jeff Dickerson of ESPN updated Chris Conte's status for Week 4:

Updates from Monday, Sept. 22

Chris Conte was unable to finish Monday's game against the Jets due to his ongoing shoulder issues according to the Bears Twitter account:

Adam Hoge of WGNRadio detailed how Conte looked after the game: 

Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald previously confirmed that Chris Conte is active for Week 3 vs. New York:

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 16

Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times provides the latest on Chris Conte's shoulder injury from head coach Marc Trestman:

Original Text:

If the Chicago Bears are to continue to be competitive in the pass-happy NFC North, the team may have to do so without safety Chris Conte, who left the team's Sunday night Week 2 clash against San Francisco with a shoulder injury.

The team's Twitter account revealed the news after Conte came down hard on the ground in the second half:

In the third quarter the Bears updated Conte's status: 

Now 25 years old and in his fourth year as a pro, Conte was the clear-cut starter next to Ryan Mundy in the back end of Chicago's defense. Sunday, he registered two tackles and a jaw-dropping interception before leaving the game.

Conte has been in the news a lot as of late. He ranked as one of the NFL's worst overall safeties last year at Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but was able to fend off fourth-round rookie Brock Vereen to keep the starting gig.

Shortly after, though, Conte's name came up on the injury report thanks to a concussion suffered in the preseason. Still, he was looking forward to a fresh start with a mostly new line in front of him.

“I don’t plan on having a lot of support [from the fans]. That’s for sure,” Conte said, per ESPNChicago.com's  Jeff Dickerson. “But I’m going to go out there and play football. That’s what my job is, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Conte played well Sunday, but for now his shot at redemption is on hold for an unknown amount of time. In the interim, the Bears will be forced to lean on a rookie at what is arguably the weakest spot on the defense.

It comes at a horrible time, too, as the Bears next three games reads like a laundry list as to who's who in terms of elite offenses—Green Bay, at Carolina, at Atlanta. Conte's return cannot come soon enough.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).