Shrinking Bears Reserve/COVID-19 Ranks

The Bears became a much healthier and deeper team on Monday when a group of players came off the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Now the only issue going into Week 17 against the New York Giants is who they'll have at quarterback.

The COVID list shrank as wide receiver Allen Robinson, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, safety Tashaun Gipson, tight end Jesse James and running back Ryan Nall came were cleared to leave the league protocol.

The Bears placed safety Teez Tabor on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury. Left tackle Teven Jenkins left the game with a shoulder injury and was replaced by backup wight tackle Larry Borom. Coach Matt Nagy had no further update on Jenkins' shoulder injury.

Quarterback Justin Fields will be watched to see if it's possible he can play against the Giants after his ankle injury against Minnesota kept him sidelined.

"Justin wants to play, he's a competitor," Nagy said. "He wants to be there for his teammates. I think that's what matters. And I think that's what all of us understand."

Fields was sidelined last week in practice. There was no practice held on Wednesday, and then he sat out Thursday and Friday before being inactive on game day.

"We have to be smart," Nagy said. "We're not going to put him at risk. And he knows that. We're going to make sure we listen to him with what he says and where he's at. And then we're going to test it out and see. And then we'll make the decision again.

"Even like just this past weekend, it was, where he was, we just felt like it was much better to not even put him out there and that just made the most sense and so we have a lot of those decisions we have to make throughout the team with him being a big one obviously at the quarterback position and he knows that we have his best interest at hand."

The other decision would be whether Andy Dalton or Nick Foles would play if it's not Fields. A groin injury to Dalton might make it a non-decision.

The effort by Foles after sitting since last midseason did not surprise quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator John DeFilippo.

"He and I have been through the highest of highs and the lowest of the lows together, anywhere from hoisting that Super Bowl trophy to the 11th play of the season in Kansas City or against Kansas City in Jacksonville where he broke his collar bone and you know affected his year, obviously to yesterday where you got a player working on a short week," DeFilippo said. "You know both guys that were in front of him on the depth chart tried to practice and tried to play and obviously Nick's experience through preparing, we're on a short week and the lack of practice time and those things like that came into play in a good way for the way he performed yesterday.

"And Nick made some real good plays for us yesterday. And so I think if you look at the whole body of work of what Nick's been through in his career, I think it's a testament to him, you know, his mental toughness to go out there and perform like he did yesterday."

Bears Reserve/COVID-19

DE Akiem Hicks*

TE Jesper Horsted

LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe

WR Isaiah Coulter**

*Starter

**Practice squad