The Chicago Bears are gearing up for their upcoming game against the New York Giants with positive updates regarding player injuries. One much-welcomed return would be Luther Burden III, who missed the previous contest against Cincinnati with a concussion. Tight end Cole Kmet returned from health protocols to practice this week. Originally forced out of the Bengals game early when he suffered a concussion, Brooks is now cleared and set to join him on the line.
Kmet’s recovery has been closely monitored. After appearing as a non-participant in practice on Wednesday, he improved to full practice both Thursday and Friday. Kmet is still getting over a persistent hamstring injury that caused him to miss three games earlier this year.
Even with the injury, Kmet expressed excitement for helping the Bears in whatever ways they need him. He is back in time to suit up against the Giants, giving the Bears’ talented offense an infusion of dynamic playmakers.
At the same time, linebacker T.J. Edwards had surgery to repair a broken hand, leaving his availability in doubt. Fortunately for the Bears, Edwards will not be placed on injured reserve. Though placing him on IR would keep him out for the standard four-game stretch, reports indicate he should return well before then. The next time he takes the field, he’ll be doing so with a cast on his hand. This will provide the team increased depth on the defensive front.
Kyle Monangai and Roschon Johnson are healthy, clearing room for other surprise cuts as they make their way into the matchup against New York. Monangai has back-to-back games of 26 carries for 176 yards and 27 for 157. With this performance, the Bears’ backfield became a strength as they head into this pivotal battle against the
In explaining the running back by committee approach, Johnson described an interesting duality to play-calling and how players learn to stay competitive.
“My experience has usually been, there might be a couple plays on the plan, run game or pass game, that you put their number down for going into the week,” – Johnson
He went on to stress the need to learn to play to the pace of the game.
“We’ll kind of see. The longer the drive, we’ll have to sub someone else in, or if I call one of those selective plays that might be the case. I think we’ll get that right balance as we go through it. [Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy] has got a really good feel for guys as they’re rolling. I believe in a guy having the hot hand. One guy, if he’s feeling it and giving us a spark, we might lean on that a little bit longer.” – Johnson
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