NEWSLETTER
Today marked the first day of Bears OTAs that were open to the media members who cover the team.
Unfortunately, the opening of the doors was met with some bummer news:
Coach Nagy announced that rookie Dazz Newsome suffered a shoulder injury in practice yesterday.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 2, 2021
Rookie receiver Dazz Newsome was spotted in a sling at Bears practice on Wednesday, one day after suffering a shoulder injury. It doesn’t sound good for Newsome, whom Head Coach Matt Nagy said will be “out for a little while.”
UPDATE – It’s a collarbone:
#Bears rookie WR Dazz Newsome broke his collarbone in practice Tuesday and will undergo surgery Thursday, per source. It's a clean break, so the sixth-round pick from North Carolina is looking at an eight-week recovery and should be ready right around the start of training camp.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 2, 2021
This is tough news on multiple fronts. For starters, Newsome is a prized rookie who was primed to earn a significant role on the Bears’ 2021 roster. Don’t let the North Carolina product being sixth-round pick fool you. Newsome figured to be vying for a chunk of playing time as a wide receiver, as well as on special teams as a punt returner. You hate to see injuries happen for anyone. But you really hate it for an up-and-comer trying to make it as a rookie.
This sounds like a serious enough injury that will keep Newsome from carving out a role early this summer. That stinks. But because Nagy didn’t dive into the seriousness of the injury, we found ourselves holding out hope for the best. And with Tom Pelissero reporting it’s a collarbone injury that has an eight-week recovery, it puts Newsome in a place to be back in time for training camp. So … that’s not the worst news.
If Newsome sees the field sooner, rather than later, it will be a welcome development. But in the meantime, the likes of Anthony Miller, Javon Wims, Riley Ridley, and Damiere Byrd now have more of an opportunity to make good impressions while Newsome is absent.
