Timm Klose will be considered for selection "soon" after the central defender returned to Switzerland following some personal issues.
The 34-year-old was left out of the squad in the 2-1 defeat against QPR on Saturday although he was in attendance at Ashton Gate. Klose has yet to start a league game this season and last featured in the 3-1 victory over Wycombe in the Carabao Cup towards the end of August.
Saturday was the sixth consecutive Championship fixture where City didn't have a recognised central defender on the bench with Tomas Kalas still sidelined with an ongoing knee issue. George Tanner, naturally a right-back, did play on the right side of a back three against Wycombe.
City's defensive frailties were on show again against QPR following a series of first-half mistakes. Three clean sheets at home means there have been signs of improvement on last season but their progress continues to be hampered by continuous mistakes at the back.
There's unlikely to be any significant changes to the back three in Tuesday's game against Coventry with options remaining limited. After the game on Saturday, Pearson said: "No Tomas (Kalas) won't be available anytime soon, Timm hopefully will be back in the frame soon. But no we don't have (many options). They'll have to play through it I'm afraid.
"Timm's had some personal issues that he's been home for. Apart from I'm not divulging anymore and I wouldn't expect to speculate, but he's been home in Switzerland with his family."
Klose's also thought to be dealing with a knee issue. It's his second of the season having also missed out with a similar problem against Blackpool earlier in the campaign.
With regards to Kalas, the Czech Republic international was initially due to come back in "October or November." Pearson's comments after the game on Saturday suggest he may not be back until after the World Cup, when Championship clubs have a three-week break following the weekend of November 12.
Speaking in his press conference on Thursday, the manager said: "October and November builds in a buffer of about eight weeks so I can safely say at the moment, yes but I can't give you any definitive idea of when he will be available.
"He's making progress, working hard and typically (being) Tomas. He's a really likeable type of guy and he's working hard and hopefully, he will meet that sort of time frame but don't expect anything greater than that in terms of an idea for the next few weeks.
"We'll give you updates if there's anything going to change whether it's longer or shorter and hopefully he'll be available sooner rather than later."
The absences highlight why Pearson made it his top priority to try and bolster his backline during the summer transfer window. He looked to sign a new right-sided central defender but retained his stance that he could only bring in a new face should a member of the squad depart, due to financial considerations.
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