The Chicago Bears’ summer in Bourbonnais is off to an inauspicious start.
Grumble.
#Bears Rookie WR Riley Ridley suffered a hamstring injury during today’s practice.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) July 26, 2019
Head Coach Matt Nagy told reporters that rookie receiver Riley Ridley suffered a hamstring injury during Friday’s practice, which caused him to leave early.
The timing of the injury is unfortunate, as the early practices provide ample opportunity for players to learn the system, apply what they have learned to a practice situation, then adjust where necessary. More importantly, early summertime practices allow for young players to catch the attention of their veteran teammates. For Ridley, this hamstring injury means fewer reps with quarterback Mitch Trubisky early in camp.
The good news is that Nagy didn’t seem all that concerned with the long-term ramifications of the injury, telling reporters: “As you go through these camps you have those, and luckily we have an unbelievable training staff and they’ll do a great job of getting him back.”
Ahhh, it’s nice to have confidence in the Bears’ training staff.
Last year, the Bears played it cautiously with all sorts of injuries and it played out well for a team which had its healthiest season in years. And while it would be wrong to expect for the Bears to be as healthy as they were last year, it’s safe to suggest they will continue to play the safe route and stress the importance of long-term health over short-term gains that could be had by rushing back.