The steady increase of names on the injury report this week was unsettling, but here’s hoping this is an “all is well that ends well” kind of week for the Chicago Bears.
Friday’s injury report dropped this afternoon and it features more good news than I was otherwise expecting:
That’s a whole lotta FULL that I wasn’t necessarilly thinking I’d see today. Let’s discuss:
After practicing with limitations on Wednesday due to a knee injury, cornerback Kyler Gordon put together consecutive practices with full participation and doesn’t have a gameday designation. In other words, the expectation is that the rookie will be a full go for Sunday’s game against the Falcons.
Joining Gordon in not having an injury designation next to them after a full practice is a pair of starters — tight end Cole Kmet (thigh) and running back David Montgomery (personal). Kmet went from not practicing, to limited participation, to getting full practice in. And he’ll be a captain this week, per Head Coach Matt Eberflus. What a week for Kmet!
Cornerback Kindle Vildor and defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad were full participation in Friday’s practice, too. Vildor (ankle) has been on a steady climb after suffering an ankle injury early in the Bears’ loss to the Dolphins two Sundays ago. Meanwhile, Muhammad went from not practicing at all to being full. That’s a heckuva development. Both players are questionable to play, but the full participation to end the week is encouraging.
The same can be said about right guard Teven Jenkins. After missing last week’s game due to a hip issue, Jenkins started this week with back-to-back days of no participation at practice. But he just ended this week with a full practice. Perhaps that is a sign that Jenkins could return to the starting lineup on Sunday. We’ll see how the cards shake out there.
Two players have already been ruled out — defensive back Dane Cruikshank (hamstring) and wide receiver N’Keal Harry (illness). Harry has missed the last two practices due to an illness. As for Cruikshank, his hamstring is apparently better Friday (limited) than it was on Thursday (DNP). But it isn’t enough of an upgrade to make him active for Sunday.
All in all, that’s as good as it gets this time of year for the injury report. How it impacts starting lineups, rotations, and in-game situations will be determined on Sunday. But having a relatively full deck is what matters most.
NEWSLETTER
