NEWSLETTER
The Bears playing their Week 1 game against the 49ers in a monsoon had me worried about the first injury report of the week.
And considering the conditions they played in, the first injury report of Week 2 doesn’t look as bad as I was fearing:
The headline here is that rookie Velus Jones Jr. is practicing again, albeit with limitations. Even still … Jones getting upgraded to a limited participant in practice after not participating at all in last week’s lead-up to the Niners game feels significant. It’s a start! And it sure is better than the alternative of Jones starting this week with another “DNP” next to his name. It’s not just Jones’ potential as a receiver the Bears were missing last week. But also his contributions in the return game. Every bit helps.
There wasn’t much to be had out there in last week’s sloppy conditions. So it’s not as if I had interest in rushing Jones back into the lineup. I was A-OK with him sitting out last week. Moreover, I wonder if the Bears hurrying Jones back into action that led to the hamstring injury flare up that caused him to miss Week 1. In the end, I wouldn’t have been OK throwing a less-than-full strength Jones into that mess and risk further injury. However, it still would’ve been nice to be playing with a full deck. And while we’re not there yet, the arrow seems to be pointing in the right direction. But I’d bet on the Bears continuing to proceed with caution here.
