LAKE FOREST, Ill., Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Starting weakside linebacker Warrick Holdman, the Chicago Bear's second-leading tackler in 2001, will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on Monday to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee.
Holdman sustained the injury in the first quarter of Sunday's 33-27 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The 26-year-old Holdman is the Bears' fourth defensive starter to be sidelined with an injury, joining defensive tackle Ted Washington, defensive end Phillip Daniels and cornerback R.W. McQuarters.
Washington will miss the next 10 weeks with a torn ligament in his left foot and hairline fracture of his left leg. Daniels suffered a sprained left ankle and McQuarters a sprained MCL in his left knee in the season opener and both are expected back sometime in October.
Mike Caldwell, a 10-year veteran who started all 16 games for the Philadelphia Eagles last season and signed with the Bears as a free agent, will replace Holdman.
Holdman tore his cartilage in his left knee in 2000 and missed the final six games. He was a restricted free agent after last season and signed a four-year, $12 million offer sheet with the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Bears matched the offer.
