Kevin White Injury: Latest on Bears WR's Recovery from Leg Surgery

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Kevin White did not play during the 2015-16 regular season due to injury, but he is expected to be ready for the 2016 offseason.

Continue for updates.

---

White Comments on Recovery 

Monday, Jan. 4

“I’m good. I’m going to get stronger, get the quickness back and just train hard, like I’ve always done,” White said, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. Dickerson provided more from White:

"

“I want to come into organized team activities [Phase 3 of the offseason program] healthy, and I think that's like the main thing for us it stay healthy, especially with Marquess Wilson, Alshon Jeffery, Zach Miller and Eddie Royal being banged up. We just all want to play together and stay healthy.”

[...]

“It was a good learning experience,” White said. “You know, seeing the older guys, seeing how this organization handles things, staying in the older guys’ ears -- Jay Cutler and Eddie Royal, and couple other guys. So it was a learning experience but I’m ready to go for next year.”

"

---

White's Rookie Season Derailed by Injury

The injury issues began in training camp for White, as he was placed on the physically unable to perform list with a shin ailment. Although getting back from the PUP list was a slow process, general manager Ryan Pace downplayed the severity of the injury, per Dickerson.

"Kevin has a shin injury that we told him to stay off of the last month," Pace said. "So for us it's more, hey, he's been inactive. We want to kind of have a ramp-up phase in regards to his cardio. So we're going to start him off on PUP to kind of build his cardiovascular endurance."

The 23-year-old wideout ultimately underwent shin surgery, though, which has kept him on the reserve list for the entirety of the 2015 campaign until now.

The Bears have plenty invested in White as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 draft, so their cautious approach was understandable. 

Chicago has struggled with depth at the wide receiver position this season, as both Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal have been injured at various points.

The former West Virginia standout has a chance to be a major NFL star if he can get healthy, and letting him sit out and come back in 2016 was ultimately be the best move.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.