Receivers Supply for Bears Dwindling
Linebacker Roquan Smith might be on the front of everyone's mind with the Bears after he requested a trade but the team faces a far more urgent issue after Tuesday's Family Fest practice.
They're rapid running out of receivers.
Already without Byron Pringle due to a quad injury, N'Keal Harry with an ankle injury and both Velus Jones Jr. and Dante Pettis with unspecified injuries, the Bears also lost wide receiver David Moore to an injury coach Matt Eberflus said still must be assessed.
"It does make it difficult," Eberflus said about more injuries. "You lose men on a 90-man roster and it makes it difficult for the other guys. We're at that situation where we've got to just keep on working through it. Next man up and the whole roster is going to get more reps at that position so that's where we are."
It didn't stop there with Justin Fields' receivers. One of his top targets, tight end Cole Kmet, left during practice, as well.
"I'll have to talk to (tight ends coach Jim) Dray and we'll have to assess him going forward but, again, if it's day to day it will be that and if it's longer I'll state what the injury is," Eberflus said.
Both rookies Jake Tonges and Chase Allen stepped up with catches after the injury during the lengthy scrimmages that went on during the practice at Soldier Field Tuesday in Family Fest.
"It's just next man up," wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown said. "It's football, injuries happen. You hate to see your fellow teammates go down but in the middle of practice, the next person has to step up and fill the shoes up of wherever we are missing guys at."
Tackle Teven Jenkins also stopped practicing but it had been planned and he actually was more involved early in practice than any time since returning from an unspecified injury late last week.
"He's still in the ramp up (phase)," Eberflus said. "So he was only scheduled to do individual (drills) and then I think working forward from there we're going to see where he is."
Without many of his top receivers, Fields relied on Equanimeous St. Brown and Tajae Sharpe to step up and take throws, along with Darnell Mooney.
St. Brown, the former Green Bay Packer, has become more and more of a favorite of Fields after signing in free agency.
"I think it just comes with getting a lot of reps in at practice at OTA's or camp," St. Brown said. "Whether that's routes in the air or one on one's, seven on seven or team reps. You have to put in the work. That's the only way to build chemistry with a quarterback."
It doesn't surprise St. Brown that Sharpe has stepped into a more important role after he came off the non-football injury list.
"He's one of the older guys in the room," St. Brown said. "He was in Tennessee with the same offense so he knows the offense a little bit already. So he brings a little bit of experience to the team in the wideout room, that we have a lot of young guys, so he helps out with the experience part of it."
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