Trey Burton Is Sitting Out OTAs After Sports Hernia Surgery in the Offseason

May 29, 2019, by Luis Medina Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears were blessed with good fortune on the injury front for most of the 2018 season, but one issue that proved to be a late-season (playoff-impacting) problem has lingered into OTAs.

Head Coach Matt Nagy informed reporters at Halas Hall that tight end Trey Burton is going to miss OTAs as he recovers from offseason sports hernia surgery. Nagy told reporters the surgery was related to the injury that kept Burton out of action during the team’s playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Wild-Card Sunday. And while it’s a bit bothersome that an injury that popped up in early January is still nagging Burton, Nagy laid out the process by which the team and Burton came to the conclusion to have surgery a few months ago.

“When the season was over, we thought let’s pull back a little bit, and let’s let him get a little bit of rest, come back and see where it’s at,” Nagy said. “We did that, and he wasn’t feeling real comfortable with it. So couple of months ago he ended up getting sports hernia surgery. No need for us to keep dragging this out, let’s get the thing right, and we feel like we’ve done that.”

If you’ll recall, Burton was a late-addition to the injury report prior to the Bears-Eagles playoff game. The team listed it as a groin injury, and it turned out to be serious enough to keep him out of action. Burton offered up an update after the season ended, but it still left questions hovering around the situation. There where whispers throughout the winter that anxiety played a role in Burton’s groin injury, but Burton debunked those claims when he opened up further about the injury before the Super Bowl. Burton said the injury was difficult to explain, so here’s hoping successful surgery fixes the issue. The hope is that he’ll be ready to roll for training camp, which opens up in July. And if that’s the case, Burton’s return will be welcomed with open arms. After all, he was Mr. Reliable for Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky in the red-zone last season and is expected to play a key role in the offense again.

(Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

Burton wasn’t the only Bears regular who watched OTAs from the sideline. Wide receiver Anthony Miller remained out as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. Nagy also noted that starting right tackle Bobby Massie was dealing with a stiff neck, which kept him off the practice field. So while no one wants to deal with the injury bug, doing so now is better than the alternative of having to do so during the regular season.

For more from the Bears coach, you can check out his entire press conference below: