NEWSLETTER
Two of the Chicago Bears’ most important offensive players probably aren’t suiting up for Thursday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.
In an interview with Andrew Siciliano and James Jones during NFL Network’s Inside Training Camp LIVE program, running back Jordan Howard confirmed he was going to sit out and hinted that quarterback Mitch Trubisky wasn’t likely to play either.
Here is the exchange:
Siciliano: You playing Thursday?
Howard: Nah, I’m not playing Thursday.
Siciliano: Mitch playing Thursday?
Howard: Probably not.
Well, that provides everything we want to know, doesn’t it?
To be fair, the Hall of Fame Game is the first of five preseason games on the Bears’ schedule. So it’s not like there isn’t time for guys on both sides of the ball to work on their craft and build up a lather ahead of the regular season opener against the Green Bay Packers in September. And while it sounds like a lot of Chicago’s starters could get the night off, that just means there will be ample opportunity for some of the team’s young players throughout the roster to make a good impression on coaches in a game situation.
Besides, surely guys are looking forward to hitting someone in a uniform of a different color after two weeks of going after teammates.
Mark Grote of 670 The Score tweeted that Head Coach Matt Nagy wouldn’t reveal the team’s starting lineup on Tuesday and that a meeting that would come up with a decision would happen in the evening. I’m no fortune teller, but you can figure the second-team unit and other reserves will get a healthy dose of action when the Bears play the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday.
That means receivers Kevin White, Javon Wims, and Anthony Miller, as well as tight ends Dion Sims and Adam Shaheen could get an extended look in an offense catching passes from Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray. Maybe we’ll get a good look at what Rashaad Coward looks like at right tackle after we saw him play a handful of snaps on the other side of the ball at nose tackle as a rookie in 2017. Speaking of defense, a game featuring waves of reserves could allow us to take a good long look at the likes of defensive backs such as Kevin Toliver II and Deiondre’ Hall, outside linebackers like Isaiah Irving and Kylie Fitts, and defensive linemen including Bilal Nichols and Roy Robertson-Harris. Simply put, there is a lot of playing time to go around because the usual suspects in the starting lineup won’t be available.
So while it would be nice to see Trubisky take the field for the first time since December and as much as he might like to take some snaps in front of friends and family from his home state, we’ll have to wait until August 9 when the Bears travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals.
