Dane Cruikshank Cleared for Bears Practice

The Bears finally can begin to see what safety Dane Cruikshank can do for them.

The former Titans safety has been shelved all offseason with an unexplained injury situation, and at the outset of training camp went on the non-football injury list.

However, the five-year veteran was activated by the Bears for practice Tuesday morning.

The 6-foot-1, 209-poundplayer rom Arizona was a Titans fifth-round draft pick in 2018 and has 65 tackles with one interception.

Until last year his contributions largely had been confined to special teams but he started four times in 2021 and was used extensively in nickel or dime packages as an extra coverage player on tight ends.

The Bears have been using rookie Elijah Hicks and DaAndre Houston-Carson so far in practices as the top second-team safeties so this could change.;

It may take a bit of a ramping-up period for Cruikshank to be involved because Tuesday is the first day of padded practices. It's unlikely they would ask a player who hasn't been at a practice all offseason and training camp to step right in on his first day with pads on to begin hitting.

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