Well it sure was nice feeling optimistic about the injury report for a brief period of time.
On Wednesday, the Bears’ initial release of the Week 2 injury report listed rookie receiver Velus Jones Jr. as a limited participant in practice. That designation represented an upgrade from the previous week, where Jones didn’t practice at all. And while I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself, seeing a step in the positive direction had me feeling better than I had previously. I was ready to see Jones in action.
Unfortunately, the positive vibes didn’t last long because Jones did not practice on Thursday. The setback is a bit worrisome. Going from practicing (albeit with limitations) to being a non-participant is reason enough to feel itchy about the entire situation. I suppose that today’s designation could be a sign of the Bears playing it cautiously with their rookie receiver. Or it could be a one day on, one day off type of situation as the team attempts to ease Jones back into the mix. Whatever it is, I’m filled with newfound concern about Jones. The third-round receiver who was expected to be an immediate contributor on offense and special teams. Being without him complicates matters in terms of building continuity on offense.
As for the rest of the injury report, here you go:
In a bit of good news, offensive lineman Riley Reiff is practicing again. Reiff went from practicing in a limited capacity to doing so in full. The Bears could use the good news from the health front in the trenches. Especially with Alex Leatherwood set to miss (at least) the next four games with a trip to the Non-Football Illness List. Fullback Khari Blasingame (personal) didn’t practice on Thursday.
Overall, seeing just three names on the injury report is a mostly positive sign. But Jones remaining on it is troubling. More on the injury front tomorrow, where I imagine we’ll get some much-needed clarity.