The former Pro Bowl defensive end left practice Tuesday for an undisclosed reason. He’s the eighth defensive starter to miss practice this training camp, but the Bears are still hopeful of being at full strength when the bell rings.
Since training camp opened with safety Eddie Jackson on the non-football injury list with a hamstring issue, the Bears’ defense has yet to be at full strength in its quest to regain its lost glory.
That doesn’t look like it’s going to change any time soon. With linebackers Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan and Robert Quinn already out, defensive end Akiem Hicks was a mysterious absentee Tuesday after leaving practice during warm-ups.
Hicks’ departure occurred after coach Matt Nagy addressed the media Tuesday morning. And the Bears did not divulge any information about Hicks’ absence after practice. Nagy was seen talking to head trainer Andre Tucker on the practice field after Hicks left, then had what looked like an extended serious conversation with general manager Ryan Pace, presumably about Hicks’ situation. Nagy will next meet the media Wednesday morning.
Hicks is the eighth defensive starter to miss practice this training camp — including cornerback Desmond Trufant, who is battling Kindle Vildor for the starting job. Smith (groin) has been out since Aug. 7. Trevathan (knee) has been out since Aug. 10.
Previously, Jackson missed 12 days at the start of camp. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman missed 10 days while on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Safety Tashaun Gipson missed two weeks with a groin injury. Quinn missed nine days with a back issue, returned on Aug. 12 and played seven snaps in the preseason opener against the Dolphins on Saturday. But he suffered an ankle injury and has missed practice the last two days.
Nagy said he was not worried about Smith’s extended absence, with the season opener not until Sept. 12. “No news is probably good news with him,” Nagy said.
The Bears have generally been unfazed by the defensive injuries. None of them appears to be serious. There’s still more than three weeks before the opener. It’s a veteran defense that has a base of continuity with first-year coordinator Sean Desai, a Vic Fangio disciple. And the depth appears strong, with defensive end Angelo Blackson, linebackers Christian Jones and Alec Ogletree filling in and Vildor starting in place of Trufant at corner.
And while this defense has five 30-somethings in Mack (30), Hicks (31), Trevathan (31), Quinn (31) and Gipson (30), it also has room for growth — such as second-year cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who received a rave review from Gipson.
“I don’t think he gets enough credit,” Gipson said of Johnson, who had 15 pass break-ups (in 13 games) as a rookie — tied for ninth in the NFL. “I believe in the next year or two he’ll be a top-five cornerback. That’s a sound bite that I’m willing to put out there because I’ve seen the growth in his game. He really doesn’t have any flaws to his game.”
Gipson said Johnson is emerging as “a leader in this secondary” and a player who has an infectious impact on the defense.
“He had the shoulder injuries [two in college, one in the NFL] — a lot of people who don’t play the game don’t realize those things [the shoulders] are pretty vital,” Gipson said. “So he seems healthy. He looks pretty good. He’s in great shape. A guy like that leading the charge is perfect.”
Johnson’s biggest challenge could be just staying healthy — he missed the last three regular-season games in 2020 and the playoff game with a shoulder injury. But that’s a challenge for almost anybody on the Bears defense so far.
But if it ever gets to full strength …
“The season is right around the corner, but we still do have time. It’s not like next week,” Gipson said. “These guys get healthy and we just continue to gel like we should — it’s going to be an exciting time of year, I promise.”
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/3xWFBQu
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