Chicago Bears: What is Happening with Rookie Kevin White?
We are now well in to training camp and the Chicago Bears have yet to see what their first round rookie (seventh overall pick) can do on the field. Wide receiver Kevin White continues to sit out practice with an apparent shin injury that is starting to become worrisome across the fan base.
The Bears are turning over a new leaf this season under new general manager Ryan Pace, head coach John Fox, offensive coordinator Adam Gase, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and many other new members of the coaching staff and front office. This is a new era in Chicago Bears football, and with White being the new regime’s first ever draft pick into the organization, he is expected to help lead in the new generation.
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The 6-foot-3, 215 pound White has ideal size for the wide receiver position. He also shows blazing speed, impressive athleticism and the ability to make nearly any catch in traffic. He truly is the total package at the wide receiver position, and has a chance to be a star at the NFL level. Unfortunately, this shin injury is not allowing White the ability to get off to a strong start, as we continue to wait and see what happens next.
Fox met with the media after practice on Monday, and received a fair share of questions surrounding his star rookie. According to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune, Fox had plenty to say when asked about White.
“I think he’s making headway,” the Bears head coach told reporters. “He was on the shelf for six weeks, just his conditioning level and even soft tissue — just building him back to get the chance to come and play football rather than just throwing him out there.”
When asked about what White was able to do on the side right now, Fox replied: “We’re just not doing a lot with him as far as strong on-grass movement. He does — I’m not going to get into all his things — but some of it’s in water. There’s a lot of ways to build your cardio system without pounding on a particular body part. We’re in that stage, and hopefully it continues to grow.”
May 8, 2015; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Kevin White (13) during Chicago Bears rookie minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Fox did not give up much when asked if White was in danger of missing the Bears’ entire training camp: “I’m looking at day-to-day. I can’t predict. Sooner rather than later is what I hope, but it’s just a hope,” he replied.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding this injury with White. After being drafted by the team, he took part in the rookie minicamps, but was only sparingly used during the voluntary minicamps. At the time, the injury was brushed off as not being serious, similarly to what seems to be going on right now.
The Bears are trying not to make this injury to White a big deal, but the more time he misses, the more curious the media and the fan base will get. Obviously, this is something that we hope is not a big deal, but the Bears are holding information about the injury as close as they can, making it extremely difficult to have any sort of educated opinion.
He still continues to miss practice, and one can only wonder how serious the injury is. Sooner or later, we will find out one way or another, but as time goes on, it is natural to feel less and less optimistic.
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