NEWSLETTER
Injury updates for some prominent Bears came across the wire, so let’s hop to it.
Anthony Miller (Shoulder)
The second-year receiver had offseason surgery to repair a shoulder injury that lingered throughout the 2018 season. Miller still hauled in a team-leading seven touchdown receptions, but ultimately could not play to his potential because of an injury that (quite literally) limited his reach and catching radius. Lester Wiltfong Jr. (Windy City Gridiron) tweets that Miler said he had “no lingering affects” from the offseason surgery, which is a positive sign in the early going. Zack Pearson (Bear Report) adds that Miller said he isn’t 100 percent yet, but is close and will be there for Week 1. The Packers locked Miller down last December and also held him to just two catches for 14 yards in the season-opener. It sure would be nice to get him going against Chicago’s arch-nemesis in a nationally televised prime-time game.
Alex Bars (Knee)
Bars, an undrafted free agent rookie offensive lineman, was helped off the field during Friday’s practice, then carted to the locker room. Bars suffered a knee injury during a goal line drill, but Head Coach Matt Nagy told reporter (via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune) that the “knee contusion” is not expected to be serious. That’s a relief on a couple of fronts. For starters, Bars is one of the more talented offensive linemen among the players battling for a depth spot. Additionally, Bars is coming off a final season at Notre Dame that was cut short due to a knee injury. The last thing Bars (or the Bears) needs is for another knee problem to slow him down. Bars might be sidelined for a bit, but it is encouraging to read reports that his injury is not believed to be serious.
Trey Burton (Sports Hernia)
For those curious as to why TE1 was out of the lineup today, we have an answer that will calm your nerves. Mark Grote (670 The Score/Bears Radio) tweets that Burton had a scheduled day off on Friday. If you’ll recall, Burton missed time during the offseason training program while recovering from a sports hernia surgery that was directly related to the injury that caused him to miss the team’s playoff game against the Eagles. That Burton started training camp without having to go on the physically unable to perform list was encouraging, but that does not mean the Bears won’t take every precaution possible to ensure his health for Week 1. Do not be surprised if Nagy and the training staff schedule a few more rest days for one of Mitch Trubisky’s favorite targets.
Adam Shaheen (Back)
A sore lower back kept Shaheen out of practice earlier in the week and limited in the last two practices. JJ Stankevitz (NBC Sports Chicago) tweets Shaheen was in full pads on Friday, which feels like a step in the right direction. Shaheen was limited in practice for a second consecutive day, with most of his work coming in individual and positional drills. Sitting out of contact drills could be a temporary thing, but we will need to keep an eye on him as this summer progresses.
