As the Bears prepare to face off against a red-hot Dolphins team, there are reasons to be optimistic about Chicago. That has a lot to do with the offense, which finally appears to be coming together.
Something that should only help matters are the returns of some injured starters to the offensive line. Left guard Cody Whitehair was activated off injured reserve this week, after battling a knee injury. He’s expected to return to the starting lineup, and Bears coach Matt Eberflus sounded confident about how he’s progressed.
“His movement’s good, his jumps were good,” Eberflus said. “The strength staff did a nice job of getting him ready to go, and he’s looked good in practice.”
Whitehair, who hasn’t played since Week 4, has been the Bears’ most consistent offensive lineman this season. And it’s safe to say he’s thrilled to get back out there.
“I feel great,” Whitehair said, via ChicagoBears.com. “It’s Week 9 in the season. You’re never going to feel 100 percent. But I feel good where I’m at. I’m excited to be back.
“I’ve played a lot of ball … getting back on the field and going back to work against a different opponent will be a little bit different, but I feel good where I’m at and I’m ready to work.”
Right tackle Larry Borom missed last week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys with a concussion. Borom cleared concussion protocol on Friday, and he certainly appears in line to return.
But while Eberflus declined to say whether Borom would get the start at right tackle on Sunday, he sounded encouraged.
“He was out during the course of the week and he came back today and he was in a good spot today,” Eberflus said, “so we’ll see where it progresses from here.”
If the Bears decide to rest Borom another week, they’ll turn to veteran Riley Reiff, who filled in at right tackle in last week’s loss to the Cowboys.
“We thought he did a nice job,” Eberflus said. “He is an aggressive guy. He played with good technique. We didn’t have anything with his wind in terms of his stamina. The physical stamina was good. So we like where he was.”
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