Prince Amukamara Makes Rapid Return
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Bears injury report from Wednesday's practice might be regarded by some teams as a disaster heading into a game with so much at stake.
Yet, getting cornerback Prince Amukamara back on the practice field alone made it a successful day.
Amukamara tested out his injured hamstring and went through a full practice, although coach Matt Nagy said their version of a full practice at this point in the season wasn't really strenuous.
At least he was on the field. Without Amukamara, the defense relied on backup Kevin Toliver against Dallas and got away with a less experienced player until late in the game when he struggled in zone coverage to keep the clock running.
"I liked the way that he played," coach Matt Nagy said. "We went in cover-0 on the play he got beat for the touchdown and Dak (Prescott) made a hell of a throw, dropped it right in the bucket. But for the most part, overall, I thought it was good for him. He got a chance to go out there and see what he could do.
"Every bit of experience that he can get is only going to help make him better down the road."
Also on the field practicing Wednesday was running back David Montgomery, who reportedly had been injured in the win over Dallas but continued to play
That was the good news.
The bad news started with wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and tight end Ben Braunecker still in the concussion protocol after missing the last two games.
Tackle Bobby Massie remained sidelined with an ankle injury, linebacker Danny Trevathan is still out with an elbow injury and wide receiver Javon Wims is out with a knee injury. Also, defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris missed practice with a foot injury suffered against Dallas.
The injury to Wims looked like a seasonender when he was on the turf during Thursday's game but apparently the severity isn't great because he'd already be headed to injured reserve if it was.
Defensive end Akiem Hicks continued working toward returning from injured reserve, and his presence appears to energize players as he anticipates playing for the first time since Week 5.
"I think it's big," Nagy said. "I think it's big just because he's one of our more vocal guys in a good way. He's a leader. He's a natural born leader.
"Take the play out and what he does on the field, just rallying the guys this week in practice, being around and then on game day, you (media) always see him out there. He's a guy that gets everyone going. So I think it's huge."
The Packers have injuries, as well. However, they didn't have players missing the entire practice. Wide receiver Geronimo Allison (knee), tight end Jimmy Graham (wrist), cornerback Kevin King (shoulder), guard Billy Turner (knee) and fullback Danny Vitale (calf) were the Packers limited due to injuries.
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