Back to Full Force for Bears Line
The Bears offensive line was intact and as good as it will get in terms of sheer numbers on Monday when practice resumed at Halas Hall.
Starting right tackle Germain Ifedi was removed from the physically unable to perform list and returned to practice after missing all of training camp, while new left tackle Jason Peters was on the field taking a good number of snaps with the first team.
Ifedi had been healthy throughout OTAs and minicamp but suffered a hip-flexor injury during pre-training camp conditioning drills and has missed every practice since July 27 and both preseason games.
In the meantime, the Bears put Lachavious Simmons, Arlington Hambright and Alex Bars at right tackle because the swing tackle they originally planned to play in case of injury was Elijah Wilkinson, and they needed him to play left tackle due to Teven Jenkins' back injury.
Both Wilkinson and Simmons had plays to forget in the preseason loss to Buffalo. Simmons was blocking Andre Smith of Buffalo but let him go during a blitz to block another player and Justin Fields had his helmet knocked off with a big hit. Wilkinson was completely flattened
It will be a gradual introduction for the linemen, which means Larry Borom still will be worked in at left tackle and Simmons might be at right tackle some of the time in practice.
"Like with Ifedi, Ifedi can't just come on in, and Jason Peters can't just come on in and play the whole practice," coach Matt Nagy said prior to Monday morning's practice. "There's a rhythm to how they do it. So we've got to monitor that.
"But then we also know that this third game here in preseason is going to be real for them to get out there and see what they can do, for football shape, too."
New injuries came out of the game with Buffalo. Tight end Scooter Harrington (knee), tight end Jesper Horsted (knee), defensive lineman Sam Kamara (ankle), safety Jordan Lucas (quad), defensive end Bilal Nichols (toe), defensive lineman Mike Pennel (groin), outside linebacker James Vaughters (calf), long snapper Pat Scales (ankle) and wide receiver Javon Wims (oblique) were held out of Monday's practice. Wims was reported to have an appendix issue after the game but Nagy said Monday that was incorrect.
Nagy added the Nichols injury does not appear serious and is not something which could keep him from playing in the opener.
Other players who sat out the game but joined practice on Monday were guard James Daniels, nose tackle Eddie Goldman, linebacker Roquan Smith, linebacker Danny Trevathan and running back Ryan Nall. Daniels has been working back in at practices after a quad injury while Goldman had a back issue last week in practice. Smith had a groin injury earlier but has also been practicing.
Trevathan's practice is the first for him since suffering a hamstring injury two weeks ago.
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