In his 10th season as the Bears’ long snapper, Patrick Scales will not start the year on time. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the team will soon place its deep snapper on the injured list.

Scales will undergo back surgery, said Biggs, who added that the team is hoping for a recovery time of about six weeks. The 36-year-old specialist has been battling a disc problem and has been out of action since being taken off the field in the Hall of Fame Game.

The Bears waived the other long snapper in their squad — Cameron Lyons — on Tuesday, but they will certainly need someone here soon. Scott Dalythe Lions’ snapper for the past three seasons, is on the team’s radar, Biggs adds. Detroit releases the 30-year-old Daly to replace him with the rookie UDFA Hogan Hatten on Tuesday.

Chicago could have placed Scales on the injured list before finalizing its 53-man roster, but the team had already filled those spots. Larry Borom and rotation rusher Jacob Martin received IR return designations on Tuesday; the NFL’s change to the IR rule allows up to two such designations.

Scales’ niche position and the nature of his injury could also make the Bears hesitant to sacrifice one of their IR return spots so early. The Bears already have six IR return spots, but Scales’ impending move won’t reduce that total any further just yet. By waiting until today to move him to IR, the Bears won’t lose any activation until they actually return Scales to the active roster.

Scales was signed during the 2015 season and has played 122 games for the Bears. He also has a notable injury history — at least for a long snapper. The veteran supporting player missed the 2017 season with a torn ACL. The Bears are still keeping an eye on Scales after re-signing him to a one-year deal in the offseason, but he’ll have to sit out the roster for another period before he can try to play again.