Chicago Bears Camp Review: Injuries Mount

Injury Update

The Bears suffered yet another injury in practice recently when newly drafted safety Major Wright hurt his groin muscle after intercepting Caleb Hanie.  Wright didn’t come back to practice but all reports indicate that the injury is not serious and that he should be able to return to practice soon.

Some other notable players that remain on the sidelines due to injury include RB Harvey Unga with a hamstring pull, safety Chris Harris with bad back and Juaquin Iglesias with a strained quad muscle.  Iglesias’ injury could be much more serious than the Bears are making it out to be and we will find out in the coming days just how bad it might be.

Cornerback Tim Jennings has started to practice after being sidelined with a knee problem.  He even had an interception in practice (going up against Caleb Hanie).  Keep an eye on this guy. 

Defensive tackle Marcus Harrison struggled in the heat in practice and had to end his time on the field early.  Does this mean that he has a conditioning issue?  Most likely, and this does not bode well for his future in Chicago.  He has to get in better shape.

Passing Game Progress

It appears as if Johnny Knox is the new favorite target for Jay Cutler so far in training camp.  In drills held Monday, Cutler targeted Knox on one third of his passes (nine of 27 overall).  It appears that they are building good chemistry and both are starting to do better in camp.
Cutler also threw to his favorite receiver from last season, Greg Olsen, for a long completion.  Other than that, he didn’t really impress, completing just half of his passes in seven on seven drills.

Stars on Display

Some of the top performers in training camp include WR Devin Aromashodu, who has been catching almost everything that has been thrown his way. 

After having a quiet past few seasons, Mark Anderson has really been showing his stuff in training camp so far.  He’s made plays and is practicing with a lot of intensity.  Hopefully this will translate to live game action when the season starts. 

Watching newly acquired defensive end Julius Peppers practice has been a breath of fresh air.  He is everything that he has been billed to be, and if he plays like he practices, he should be a huge asset for the Bears.

In a battle to save his job, RB Kahlil Bell has been playing with a ton of intensity and has been a joy to watch in practice.  Right now, if you had to decide between him or Wolfe, your best bet would be to go with Bell.

Miscues

There has been the occasional miscue in camp especially on the offensive line where players jumped off sides five times just the other day.  Both offensive tackle Frank Omiyale and James Martens were guilty of these infractions.  Aside from the penalty, Martens has played pretty well so far in camp.