The Bears trimmed their roster to 53 men before the Tuesday afternoon deadline to do so. Those events weren’t featured on that evening’s episode of Hard Knocks, which is completely understandable.

It would be impossible to record, edit and master an installment that fast. The series’ fourth episode focused on the previous week, when the Bears wrapped the preseason slate with a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

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This episode wasn’t nearly as telling as last week’s, which featured a behind-the-scenes look at GM Ryan Poles’ attempt to acquire Matthew Judon from the New England Patriots. There were more human-interest stories, many of which focused on players who got hurt or recently cut. That’s why one was a bit awkward knowing what we know now.

The main takeaway from this installment: Injuries suuuuuuuck.

This was a discussed last week as well, but that point was more pronounced from an affair where we got a long look at the injury to Ian Wheeler – he has been heavily featured on this season – though it oddly (and inappropriately) didn’t mention serious injuries suffered by Larry Borom, Nsimba Webster and Douglas Coleman III, who was put on a backboard and taken off the field by emergency medical professionals.

Wheeler said he took a helmet to the outside of his knee and, in footage aired in the episode, he clearly knows something is seriously wrong.

“I’m in a terrible mood right now,” running backs coach Chad Morton said on the sideline, after Wheeler got hurt. “I’m crushed. Just crushed.”

Wheeler suffered a torn ACL that ended this season and took him out of contention for a roster spot.

That low moment was contrasted with Velus Jones Jr. seizing his moment and collecting serious yardage as a running back, a new position the Bears are trying him at this summer. While an entire body of work will earn a job, that last preseason didn’t hurt his effort to prove he can play well at a new position.

The shots of Wheeler coming out of the locker room and embracing his mother were moving, especially in their somber silence. Poles showed commitment to Wheeler the following day, saying he’ll stay with the team, rehab right and get another crack at a roster spot.

That was about it from a slower episode, though things should be heightened next week when they show the difficulty of roster cuts.

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