The Cardinals placed Nichols (undisclosed) on injured reserve Tuesday, and he is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Nichols suffered a stinger in each of the Cardinals' last two games, and it appears his injury Sunday against the Packers is significant enough for him to be sidelined for the rest of the regular season. He'll end his first year in Arizona with 10 tackles (six solo) across six regular-season games. L.J. Collier is likely to serve as the Cardinals' second starting defensive tackle alongside Roy Lopez while Naquan Jones and Khyiris Tonga provide rotational depth.
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Cardinals' Bilal Nichols: Won't return due to stinger
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Nichols won't return to Sunday's game against the Packers due to a stinger, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
Nichols recorded one solo tackle before leaving the contest in the second quarter. In his absence, L.J. Collier, Naquan Jones and Khyiris Tonga are candidates for increased roles.
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Cardinals' Bilal Nichols: Returns vs. Niners
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Nichols (undisclosed) has returned to Sunday's game against the 49ers, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Nichols briefly left Sunday's game due to a stinger, but the 2018 fifth-round pick is back on the field with the first-team defense.
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Cardinals' Bilal Nichols: Questionable to return Week 5
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Nichols (undisclosed) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the 49ers due to a stinger injury.
Nichols briefly went to the locker room following the injury, but he was spotted back on the sidelines. It remains to be seen whether he will come back into Sunday's game. L.J. Collier would see more work with the first-team defense while Nichols is sidelined.
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Raiders' Bilal Nichols: Good to go vs. Steelers
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Nichols (hamstring) was a limited participant at practice Friday and does not carry an injury designation for Sunday's game versus the Steelers, Rachel Gossen of the Raiders' official site reports.
Nichols was forced out of Week 2 at Buffalo with a hamstring injury, but he recovered in time to suit up for Week 3. He'll resume a starting role on the defensive line next to Jerry Tillery.
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Raiders' Bilal Nichols: Departs with injury
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Nichols has exited Sunday's game against the Bills with a hamstring injury.
Nichols is questionable to return, which will leave the team short-handed on the interior of the defensive line. Adam Butler and John Jenkins will both have an opportunity for extra snaps while Nichols is off the field.
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Raiders' Bilal Nichols: Good to go Sunday
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Nichols (shoulder) is active for Sunday's game against the Titans.
After logging limited practice both Thursday and Friday, Nichols will take the field Sunday. The 26-year-old defensive tackle has recorded four solo tackles through his first two games of 2022.
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Raiders' Bilal Nichols: Dealing with injury
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The Raiders placed Nichols (undisclosed) on the PUP list Tuesday.
Nichols signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Raiders in March, though his debut with the team could be delayed. If cleared from the PUP list ahead of Week 1, Nichols projects to hold a significant role along the defensive line after posting 51 total tackles and three sacks with Chicago in 2021.
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Raiders' Bilal Nichols: To join Raiders
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Nichols agreed Wednesday with the Raiders on a two-year, $11 million contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Nichols is a proven starter who will help shore up Las Vegas' defensive front. He enjoyed a career season with Chicago in 2021, recording 51 tackles and three sacks in 17 appearances.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Tests positive for COVID-19
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Nichols (illness) was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official team site reports.
The defensive end tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday and will now enter the league's protocols. Nichols becomes the 13th member of the team to be on the COVID-19 list, joining the likes of starters Allen Robinson and Eddie Jackson amongst others. Additonally, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reported Tuesday that 21 players tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Notches sack
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Nichols tallied a sack and two tackles in the Bears' 29-27 loss to the Steelers on Monday.
Nichols broke a streak of five games without a sack, and he now has two on the season. In addition, after posting 11 tackles over the first three games of the season, he's only recorded two in each of the last three games, making him a low-floor scoring option in IDP leagues.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Injures toe
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Nichols is nursing a toe injury, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com reports.
The severity of Nichols' toe injury is unknown at this time. He saw his snaps increase in each of the last three seasons in Chicago and recorded a career high in tackles and sacks in 2020 with 40 and five, respectively. He currently projects to start opposite Akiem Hicks at defensive end this year.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Continues hot streak
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Nichols recorded a sack and seven tackles in the Bears' 33-27 victory over the Vikings on Sunday.
Nichols recorded a sack for the third straight game, giving him six sacks since Week 6, and he also exceeded four tackles for the first time this season. He'll potentially be in position to continue his hot streak in Week 16 against the Jaguars.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Underwhelming in second season
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Nichols recovered a fumble and added a tackle in the Bears' 21-19 victory over the Vikings in Week 17, and he ended the campaign with 27 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Nichols made a slight improvement in tackles per game over his rookie season, but after posting three sacks and two forced fumbles last season, it was disappointing that he failed to produce any stats other than tackles. Signed through 2021, Nichols will continue to be a depth option in deep IDP leagues.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Listed as questionable
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Nichols (hand/knee) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Saints.
Nichols logged two full practices to begin the week, but he was a limited participant Friday and appears to have picked up a knee injury. A decision on his availability may come down to a game-time decision before Sunday's 4:25 EST p.m. kickoff.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Practicing without limitations
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Nichols (hand) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.
Nichols appears to have put the Bears' bye week to good use. He's practiced in full for two straight days and looks fully recovered from the fractured hand he suffered Week 2. Barring any setbacks, expect Nichols to slide back into his starting role against the Saints on Sunday.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Out Week 5
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Nichols (hand) was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Raiders in London.
Nichols will miss his third straight contest after suffering a fractured hand Week 2 against the Broncos. Roy Robertson-Harris should fill in at defensive end once again for the Bears.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Ready to rock
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Nichols (knee) will play in Sunday's road contest against Denver, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.
Nichols didn't pop up on the injury report until Friday, so this news is positive considering the timing of his injury. The 22-year-old played 32 defensive snaps in Week 1, and it's reasonable to expect he'll be in line for similar work Sunday.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Questionable for Sunday
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Nichols (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's matchup with Denver, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com reports.
Nichols didn't pop up on Chicago's injury report until Friday when he was limited in practice. The 22-year-old battled through this knee issue in last week's season opener against Green Bay en route to playing 32 defensive snaps. If Nichols can't play Sunday, Roy Robertson-Harris would take over his starting position and Chicago would be left without any reserve defensive ends, barring a call-up from the practice squad.
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Bears' Bilal Nichols: Game-time decision for opener
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Head coach Matt Nagy said Tuesday that Nichols' knee injury is "getting slightly better," but also that he's considered a game-time decision for Thursday's season opener against Green Bay, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Nichols was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice after not being listed on Monday's injury report. Nagy's statement gives us a little clarification on how to view the 23-year-old's status as the season opener approaches.
