Bears WR Alshon Jeffery returns to practice

While Chicago Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery has been struggling with a hamstring injury, it seems the team is hopeful he’ll be able to take the field for their Week One matchup against NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers.

“I think that’s fairly common knowledge”, Fox said.

He has not practiced since August. 11 and sat out the preseason. He did not participate in the portion of practice open to the media on Monday. “First of all he’s got to be healthy”. However, it also gives the Bears some nice protection for Cutler.

The Bears have been busy this off-season by signing general manager Ryan Pace, head coach John Fox, offensive coordinator Adam Gase and defensive coordinator Vic Fargo. “We’re just taking it one day at a time and we’ll see where that brings us”.

Having their top receiver sidelined does not help.

“We got a lot of work at it through the preseason, so there ought to be some chemistry built”, Fox said. “That’s why we’re out here practicing”. “I think most people would understand why. But that’s not reality in this sport”.

Bushrod said he is “coming along pretty good” and “getting ready for the long haul”.

“I didn’t expect it to linger this long, but it happens”, Jeffery said.

“It’s just something that I started feeling”. Jeffery said he did not have a setback during his recovery.

“My contract situation has nothing to do with it”, he said. I wasn’t at practice because I’ve been injured.

Last season, operating as something of an outside receiving option 1A for Chicago to Marshall’s 1B, Jeffery amassed 85 receptions for 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns. But he never felt right and eventually had season-ending microfracture surgery on the same knee. At the present time, it looks like the Bears will be without their first round draft pick, wide receiver Kevin White out of West Virginia. They haven’t been in the rivalry as long as me and Matt Forte and Robbie Gould and some other guys. “It’s been a long rehab, a long everything”. He is also trying to show he is still a productive player after a finishing with a career-low 5 1/2 sacks last season, his first in Chicago.

Fangio’s transition to the 3-4 defense will make a difference this season, but a lot of the same defensive players return. “My experience has been whatever that takes”. “The most hard has been just the terminology of plays, forgetting all the stuff you learned two years before and re-enter it with different words”.