When Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara arrived at Wednesday morning's walk-through at Halas Hall, he felt a surge of energy. Outside linebacker Khalil Mack was back on the field.
"Man," Amukamara said. "When he came out to walk-through, I was like, 'Yes! If he's in walk-through, he has to be playing this week.' ... I think everyone is excited about it."
After two games on the sideline, Mack is aiming to play this weekend when the Bears face the Lions at Soldier Field. The Bears' official injury report won't be released until after Wednesday afternoon's practice in Lake Forest. But coach Matt Nagy said he expected Mack to participate in a Wednesday practice for the first time since Week 6.
Mack sprained his right ankle in that week's loss to the Dolphins, was mostly ineffective the following week against the Patriots and was then inactive for the team's last two victories over the Jets and Bills. Those were the first two games Mack has missed in his five-year NFL career.
Now, of course, the Bears' goal is to ready their best pass rusher for Sunday's NFC North clash with the Lions. And at present, all signs point to that being realistic.
Amukamara was asked Wednesday if he could feel Mack's eagerness to get back into action.
"You can definitely see that he's a guy who loves football," Amukamara said. "He doesn't enjoy being on the sidelines. So we're hoping he stays hungry and gets back on Sunday."
