One of the biggest challenges for any NFL team is to remain somewhat lucky on the injury front. It’s something that the Chicago Bears were able to do in 2018, where they didn’t suffer any significant losses long-term.
But the 2019 season was another story. The Bears suffered a number of injuries, including some significant losses on defense and offense. Chicago defense lost three of its best players and their top three tight ends all landed on injured reserve.
Luckily, this offseason has given those players an opportunity to get healthy heading into a crucial 2020 season.
Let’s take a look at nine players the Bears are getting back from injury heading into training camp.
DT Akiem Hicks
The biggest boost to this Bears defense will be the return of Akiem Hicks, who anchors the middle of the defensive line. Last season, Hicks suffered an elbow injury against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5. He landed on injured reserve for eight weeks before returning for Chicago’s biggest game of the season against the Green Bay Packers in Week 15. But Hicks re-aggravated the elbow injury that held him out most of the season.
Hicks’ return will bolster the entire front seven, including the pass rush, which struggled last season in his absence. Back in May, Hicks shared a video of his first time lifting weights without a brace on his elbow. And he’s confident he’ll be good to go come training camp.
LB Danny Trevathan
Chicago will be getting back their starting inside linebackers this season, including Danny Trevathan. Trevathan suffered a gruesome left elbow injury against the Detroit Lions in Week 10. While he remained on the 53-man roster for most of the time after, the Bears eventually placed him on injured reserve on Dec. 18. It was the second time in four seasons with the Bears that Trevathan has finished on IR.
Despite the injury and age concerns (Trevathan turned 30 this spring), ultimately, the Bears felt he was too valuable to part ways with. They signed him to a three-year extension this offseason, choosing to bring him back over Nick Kwiatkoski, who had thrived in relief of Trevathan last season.
LB Roquan Smith
The Bears are returning both starting inside linebackers from a season ago, including former first-round pick Roquan Smith, who’s looking for a big season. While Smith had an up-and-down year in 2019, he started to put it together in Trevathan’s absence. He was playing some of his best football when he suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14. The injury landed him on injured reserve.
Smith has a chip on his shoulder heading into the 2020 season, as he knows that he didn’t play to his expectations last year. But with the athleticism and instincts that he possesses, this could be the year Smith puts it all together.
QB Mitchell Trubisky
For all of the criticism that Mitchell Trubisky received for his performance last year, some forget that he was playing through injury for most of the 2019 season. Trubisky suffered a partially torn labrum in his left, non-throwing shoulder against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. He missed the rest of that game and the following week against the Raiders before returning with a shoulder harness, and he played through the injury for the final 11 games.
While it wasn’t his throwing shoulder, it still affected his play, namely the mobility that has made him a threat. Trubisky had surgery following the season to repair it, and he’s good to go heading into his most important training camp. The Bears brought Nick Foles in to challenge Trubisky for the starting job, and this is Trubisky’s last shot in Chicago.
WR Anthony Miller
Receiver Anthony Miller believes that he’s geared up for the best year of his career heading into 2020. While Miller had a slow start to his 2019 campaign, when the offense started to heat up, so did Miller. There was a five-game stretch where he tallied 33 receptions for 431 yards and two touchdowns between Weeks 11-15.
For the second straight season, Miller injured his left shoulder and had to have surgery to repair it. The injury occurred on a kickoff return in Chicago’s regular-season finale against the Vikings. But from Miller’s latest Instagram video, where he’s the latest to be working out with Trubisky in the Chicago area, Miller appears to be ready to go heading into training camp.
RT Bobby Massie
Right tackle Bobby Massie returns to an offensive line that boasts four of five returning starters from last season. But the unit had its share of struggles in 2019. It certainly didn’t help with the injuries sustained on the right side of the line, including Massie, who suffered a high ankle sprain against the New York Giants in Week 12. He missed the remainder of the season.
There were plenty of issues on offense last season, but the offensive line was a big one, especially the play from the tackles. The Bears added offensive line coach Juan Castillo this offseason in hopes to right the ship and get this line to play more like they did in 2018. And Massie certainly needs to step it up in 2020.
TE Adam Shaheen
Chicago’s tight ends were a huge disappointment last season, especially former second-round pick Adam Shaheen. Shaheen’s career has been defined by injuries that have limited his growth on the field. And the same happened in 2019. Shaheen was a healthy scratch against the Lions in Week 10 before landing on the injury report the following week with a foot injury. The Bears later placed Shaheen on injured reserve in early December.
While Shaheen will be on the roster at training camp, he’s has likely played his last down as a Chicago Bear, and he faces an uphill climb just to earn a roster spot. The Bears brought in two “Y” tight ends in rookie Cole Kmet and veteran Demetrius Harris, which all but spell the end for Shaheen.
TE Ben Braunecker
Following injuries to Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen, Ben Braunecker found himself as the Bears’ top tight end. And while there were some moments that made you shake your head — like his dropped touchdown against the Giants — he was starting to make plays for this offense. But then he suffered a season-ending concussion against the Giants in Week 12. He was the third Bears tight end to land on injured reserve in 2019.
Braunecker has a better chance of earning a roster spot than Shaheen, but he’ll have some competition in a crowded tight ends room in camp. Jimmy Graham, Kmet and Harris should occupy three of those four tight end spots. And Braunecker’s biggest competition figures to be J.P. Holtz, whose versatility as a blocker and lining up as a fullback could give him an edge.
DB Sherrick McManis
Sherrick McManis doesn’t get a lot of recognition, but he’s one of the best at what he does on special teams. Which is why it hurt when McManis suffered a groin injury against the Giants in Week 12. It was an injury that eventually landed him on injured reserve in early December.
The Bears re-signed the special teams contributor to a one-year extension this offseason, ensuring that a valuable part of this team remains in place for 2020. McManis should continue to thrive on special teams and serve as a reserve in the defensive backfield.
