Perry (foot) was placed on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Perry's loss represents a huge blow to the Bears' special teams units, as he led the team with 17 tackles in kick coverage and also showed some ability as a returner. With Perry out of the picture to make the squad as the team's fourth running back, second-year back Ka'Deem Carey's chances of making the squad should increase considerably.

Perry suffered a left ankle injury in Saturday's exhibition loss to the Bengals, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The injury resulted in Perry donning a walking boot in the locker room and sidelined him for Monday's practice, but it's not believed to be a serious concern. Though he didn't see a single carry in Saturday's game, Perry averaged a respectable 28.3 yards on three kick returns. It's Perry's ability to return kicks and contribute on the special teams coverage units that could give him a leg up on Ka'Deem Carey in the competition for the fourth running-back spot in training camp.

Perry carried the ball 10 times and gained 89 yards and scored a touchdown in Thursday's preseason opener against the Dolphins.

The bulk of the damage came on a 54-yard touchdown scamper with four minutes remaining in the contest. Since both teams were fielding deep reserves for much of the second half, it's difficult to take away too much from Perry's performance, but if nothing else, he showed more explosiveness than Daniel Thomas and Ka'Deem Carey, the two backs he's competing with for a backup running back gig. Even if he claims a roster spot, Perry isn't expected to be much of a factor in the Bears' offensive game plan, with his duties primarily coming on special teams.

Perry logged no rushing attempts and caught one pass for minus-1 yard in his 16 games with the Bears in 2014.

Though Perry held down the No. 3 running back gig all season after beating out Michael Ford and Shaun Draughn for those duties in training camp, he was relegated almost entirely to special teams work. Both Matt Forte and Ka'Deem Carey are under contract for 2015 and figure to top the depth chart once again, leaving Perry little opportunity to distinguish himself offensively unless an injury occurs. While that will keep his fantasy relevance minimal, Perry does look like he could be a keeper on the Bears' special teams units. He was credited with four forced fumbles on the season, leading the team in that category.

Perry, an undrafted rookie from Louisville, made the Bears' 53-man roster as their No. 4 running back.

Perry finished the preseason with rather meager numbers (12 carries, 42 yards), but he showed enough ability as a receiver and as a returner on special teams to convince the Bears he was worth keeping. Don't expect him to see many reps on offense with Matt Forte, Shaun Draughn and Ka'Deem Carey ahead of him on the depth chart.