Friday’s Bears injury report was somewhat of a mixed bag, but the vibes are more good than bad.
Here’s what it looks like:
There’s plenty to go through in the rundown, so let’s dig in:
Wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. was a full participant in Friday’s practice. The upgrade from limited participation puts him as questionable to play on Sunday, but there is a real sense that Jones will make his NFL debut against the Giants. This is a huge bit of news for the Bears. Not just from an offensive standpoint, where Chicago could use Jones in a variety of ways as a receiver and ball-carrier. But also as a return specialist. The Bears return game has been lacking and it has hurt their field position. It’ll be nice having someone who can do this in a blink:
Linebacker Roquan Smith was also practicing in full. He has no designation, which means he has a green light to play on Sunday. This is stupendous news for everyone, save for Saquon Barkley fantasy owners.
Bummer alert: Cornerback Jaylon Johnson, running back David Montgomery, and defensive back Dane Cruikshank are OUT for Sunday’s game. Johnson hasn’t practiced due to a quad injury he suffered last week ahead of the Bears’ win against the Texans. Meanwhile, Montgomery’s ankle/knee issue was serious enough to keep him off the practice field. Head Coach Matt Eberflus was calling Montgomery “day-to-day” earlier in the week, but that diagnoses feels off-base. The Bears didn’t rule out an IR stint for Montgomery. Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that.
Defensive end Robert Quinn (illness) was upgraded from not practicing to limited participation. Cairo Santos (personal) didn’t practice for a second consecutive day. Both players are questionable to play on Sunday. As is Sterling Weatherford, a linebacker whose ankle limited his practicing on Thursday.
All in all, I suppose things could be worse. Here’s to no last-minute changes between now and when inactive players are submitted on Sunday.