Benson officially moved to IR

Running back Cedric Benson was officially placed on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon, opening a roster space on the team. Soon he will undergo surgery on his fractured left leg.

The Bears also made two other moves, releasing safety Brandon Sharp from the practice squad after one week. Taking his place was offensive tackle Ryan Gibbons. The Northeastern product was on the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this season after spending training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and sitting on their practice squad for the first three weeks.

Gibbons was undrafted in 2006 and spent nearly the entire season on the Jaguars practice squad. He was with Hamburg in NFL Europa.

It may be a week before Benson’s spot is taken on the 53-man roster, and the Bears are not necessarily going to sign a running back in his place.

Gibbons gives the Bears a tackle for purposes of practice with right tackle Fred Miller dealing with a twisted right ankle. They had Mark LeVoir before he was signed away by the St. Louis Rams earlier this month.