Eddie Royal Injury: Updates on Bears WR's Hip and Return

The Chicago Bears' receiving corps took a hit heading into the regular-season opener, as Eddie Royal has been dealing with a hip injury. However, he practiced ahead of the team's season opener against the Green Bay Packers and was declared active on Packers.com.

On Sept. 9, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times noted Royal's limited participation in practice, while Jeremy Stoltz of BearReport.com passed along word of Royal's return to practice on Sept. 7, adding that he participated in team drills after missing the Bears' last two practices.

"It was a good start, and I'm excited about Sunday and hopefully being out there," Royal said at the time, via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.

Royal was just the latest Bears receiver to suffer an injury, and Stoltz noted that the team is starting to lack depth at the position:

The Bears underwent an overhaul at wide receiver this offseason, trading Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets, drafting Kevin White and signing Royal. Chicago has already lost White to a shin injury that required surgery, which potentially ended his season and added to Royal's importance.

Given the inconsistent play from quarterback Jay Cutler when all of his weapons are healthy, a depleted receiving corps only figures to compound the problem. The Bears could rely on running back Matt Forte more than ever in 2015 because of these injuries.