Bears To Place Kevin White On IR
Bears coach John Fox confirmed to reporters on Monday morning that Kevin White has suffered a fractured scapula. White will be placed on injured reserve, though it’s currently unclear whether he’ll be a candidate to return later in the year. 
Fox says that surgery is a possibility for White. An operation, presumably, would knock him out for the year. If White can avoid surgery, then he may be able to take advantage of the league’s newly modified IR-DTR rules. Teams can bring two players off of IR during the season each year, though players must spend a minimum of eight weeks on the sidelines.
This is yet another frustrating setback for White, who has played in just five games in three seasons thus far. White, a West Virginia product, was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 draft. Although he is immensely talented, it’s not clear if he’ll ever be able to stay healthy.
With White sidelined, the Bears are hoping that Markus Wheaton will be ready to go in Week 2. The former Steeler was not able to go in the season opener as he recovers from finger surgery. Another free agent addition, Kendall Wright, could be in line for additional targets while White is out.
Bears’ Kevin White To Have Surgery?
The Bears fear wide receiver Kevin White has a broken bone in his shoulder and will require season-ending surgery, reports Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. 
If confirmed, White’s latest injury will be simply another health-related setback for the former No. 7 overall pick. White, who missed the entirety of his rookie campaign, has appeared in only five games through two-plus NFL seasons. In 2016, White started four games and managed 19 receptions for 187 yards.
White, 25, is signed through 2018, and will fully guaranteed salaries of $1.9MM and $2.7MM over the next two years. The Bears hold a 2019 fifth-year option on White, but it will almost assuredly be declined. Not only has White not been available to post the kind of production that would make the option worthwhile, but his injury history could easily result in the option becoming fully guaranteed, an untenable outcome from the team’s perspective.
Chicago had already lost one wideout earlier this year, as Cameron Meredith went down with a torn ACL during the preseason. Markus Wheaton, Kendall Wright, Josh Bellamy, Deonte Thompson, and Tre McBride now comprise the remaining Bears’ receivers. Tanner Gentry, currently on Chicago’s practice squad, is conceivably a candidate to be promoted to the active roster.
Trubisky Surprised Bears With Offense IQ
- Mitch Trubisky‘s ability to process an NFL offense surprised the Bears, J.J. Stankevitz of CSNChicago.com notes. This led to the No. 2 overall pick — a one-year starter at North Carolina — commandeering the Bears’ backup job and prompting John Fox to declare him “ready to play” if needed Sunday.
- The Bears’ Akiem Hicks extension followed Tuitt’s by a few hours Saturday, and he will be just shy of the Steelers defensive end on the AAV spectrum.
Bears Sign Akiem Hicks To Extension
Akiem Hicks will begin his second Bears season Sunday, and it looks like the veteran defensive end will see many more Windy City openers. The Bears and Hicks agreed to a lucrative extension on Saturday, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) it’s a four-year, $48MM contract.
Hicks will see $30MM in guaranteed money, Schefter reports. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported (on Twitter) a deal could be imminent, and within a minute, terms emerged. Hicks will now become by far the Bears’ highest-paid defender.
The Bears initially signed Hicks to a two-year, $10MM deal as a free agent last year. But Hicks’ second Chicago accord rockets him into the upper echelon of 3-4 defensive end contracts.
Only Muhammad Wilkerson, J.J. Watt and Jurrell Casey entered today making more per year than Hicks’ $12MM new-money average. The 27-year-old defender’s deal comes in comfortably ahead of the other eight-figure-per-year members — Mike Daniels, Corey Liuget and Cameron Heyward each make between $10.2-$10.6MM AAV. He and Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt — also extended today, for $12.2MM AAV — form their own tier in between these aforementioned levels.
A former third-round Saints pick in 2012, Hicks registered a career-high seven sacks last season. He was seeking $10MM per year and expressed desire to remain a Bear, entering what was set to be his contract campaign. But his camp did quite well in securing this agreement, going well north of that $10MM-AAV threshold. Hicks signed with Rosenhaus Sports earlier this summer to prepare for what turned out to be preseason negotiations.
Hicks rated as a top-flight interior defender, via Pro Football Focus, last season. The former Saint and Patriot’s deal is closer to those of higher-end 4-3 defensive tackle contracts than among players at his own position. PFR’s Connor Byrne assessed Hicks’ value this summer and mentioned deals on the Heyward/Daniels tier as Hicks’ realistic ballpark but did not discount a possibility of a pact in between those and the Jaguars-authorized contacts for Malik Jackson and Calais Campbell. Hicks’ deal falls south of Jackson and Campbell’s mammoth pacts but in front of the Giants’ Damon Harrison and Bengals Pro Bowler Geno Atkins‘ agreement.
Bears Notes: McPhee, Houston
When asked if edge rusher Pernell McPhee will ever be the player he was when the Bears originally signed him in 2015, Chicago defensive Vic Fangio gave a simple answer: “Probably not” (Twitter link via Eric Edholm of Pro Football Weekly). McPhee, who was surprisingly removed from the physically unable to perform list and placed on Chicago’s initial 53-man roster, has injured both knees during his time with the Bears. While he’s missed nine games over the past two seasons, McPhee has still been relatively effective when on the field, but may need his snaps limited going forward.
- The Bears and defender Lamarr Houston agreed to a two-week injury settlement that precipitated his release, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Technically, Chicago could re-sign Houston in five weeks (time of the settlement plus a three-week waiting period), but that seems highly unlikely. But the two-week timetable means Houston should be healthy soon, meaning he could quickly latch on with another club.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/8/17
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: LB Scooby Wright
- Released: LB Philip Wheeler
Chicago Bears
- Released from IR: RB Ka’Deem Carey, QB Connor Shaw
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: LB B.J. Bello, DB Kai Nacua
Detroit Lions
- Released from IR: WR Dez Stewart
Houston Texans
- Released from IR: TE Rashaun Allen, S Lonnie Ballentine, CB Denzel Rice, DB Malik Smith
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Josh Walker
New England Patriots
- Released from IR: DT Josh Augusta, WR Devin Lucien
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Bryce Harris
- Waived: RB Daniel Lasco
- Released from IR: TE John Phillips
Seattle Seahawks
- Released from IR: DT Rodney Coe
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released from IR: QB Sefo Liufau
Washington Redskins
- Released from IR: TE E.J. Bibbs, LB Ron Thompson Jr., LB Lynden Trail
Bears Audition 8 Players
- The Bears auditioned eight players on Wednesday, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune: wide receivers Mario Alford, Montay Crockett, Frankie Hammond, and Darreus Rogers were joined by defensive backs Dante Blackmon, Alex Carter, Brian Dixon, and Damian Swann. While Hammond and Dixon have played in the most NFL games, Carter might the most notable name on the list. A third-round pick of Detroit only two years ago, Carter has been limited by injuries and poor play and has only appeared in one pro contest.
Bears Release Lamarr Houston From IR
Lamarr Houston is free to sign with any team. At least, he’ll be able to once he’s healthy. The Bears have released the linebacker from injured reserve, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He’ll be ready to audition for clubs sometime next week. 
Houston, 30, has had two ACL tears in the past and a new knee injury has left him on the shelf once again. He didn’t do much in Chicago after signing a five-year, $35MM free agent with the Bears in 2014, but he was a quality edge rusher in previous seasons with the Raiders.
In three seasons with the Bears, Houston has appeared in just 26 of a possible 48 games and made only ten starts. With the Raiders, he did not miss a single regular season game from 2010-2013 and started in all but four of those contests.
Houston’s next deal will likely be close to the league minimum but may include some incentives for play time.
Offseason In Review: Chicago Bears
After their worst season in nearly 50 years, the Bears authored one of the more interesting offseasons in the NFL. They signed a slew of middling veterans in free agency but soon after made the biggest draft investment at quarterback in franchise history.
The quarterback position obviously took center stage in Chicago this offseason, and as a result of adding a starting quarterback in March and a high-end prospect in April, the Bears are operating on a unique timeline. High expectations aren’t in the cards for the 2017 Bears, but they will be a team to monitor because of what transpired during their player-acquisition period.
Notable signings:
- Mike Glennon, QB: Three years, $45MM. $18.5MM guaranteed.
- Prince Amukamara, CB: One year, $7MM. Fully guaranteed.
- Dion Sims, TE: Three years, $18MM. $6MM guaranteed.
- Marcus Cooper, CB: Three years, $16MM. $6MM guaranteed.
- Markus Wheaton, WR: Two years, $11MM. $6MM guaranteed.
- Quintin Demps, S: Three years, $13.5MM. $4.5MM guaranteed.
- Mark Sanchez, QB: One year, $2MM. $1MM guaranteed. $2MM available via incentives.
- Kendall Wright, WR: One year, $2MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Tom Compton, T: One year, $1.85MM. $850K guaranteed.
- Eric Kush, OL: Two years, $2.7MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Christian Jones, LB: One year, $1.5MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Bradley Sowell, T: One year, $1MM. $200K guaranteed.
- Connor Barth, K: One year, minimum salary benefit. $155K guaranteed.
- John Jenkins, DT: One year, $900K. $100K guaranteed.
- Sam Acho, LB: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
- Benny Cunningham, RB: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
- Deonte Thompson, WR: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
For now, Glennon will have another chance to show he can be an NFL starter. A recurring subject of trade rumors in recent years, the former Buccaneers third-round pick will throw more passes in Week 1 than he did in the past two seasons combined. But in less than two months, Glennon reverted to lame-duck status. Only instead of having the opportunity to display his qualifications for a starting job over the course of a sizable work sample (18 starts for the Bucs from 2013-14), the 27-year-old passer may not have much job security in his new city.
Bears fans witnessed a player with high-end tools deliver middling production for nearly a decade, but Glennon’s post-Jay Cutler audition might not even last through 2017. His guarantee pretty much tethers him to the Bears for this season alone, and Mitch Trubisky will be expected to assume command by 2018. The situation makes sense for the Bears, to some degree, in bringing in an average quarterback to run a team with low expectations while the hopeful prodigy learns. But a Brian Hoyer re-up may have been more reasonable for continuity purposes instead of authorizing a near-$20MM guarantee to a UFA who clearly isn’t in the long-term plans.
Many Bears UFA deals were not needle-movers, with the franchise striking out on some big-money targets — from A.J. Bouye to Stephon Gilmore to an Alshon Jeffery re-signing — and the franchise instead spent money on several second-tier acquisitions. This took place at both cornerback and wide receiver.
Amukamara’s been a solid defender, albeit an injury-prone one, since coming into the league. The seventh-year man showed he could stay relatively healthy last season by playing 14 Jaguars games. The 28-year-old accepted another one-year pact and will be expected to lead Chicago’s corner corps. Cooper has not shown nearly the consistency his newly arriving counterpart has and was a nonfactor in Kansas City for much of his time there. Pro Football Focus graded Cooper — his four interceptions notwithstanding — as a bottom-10 corner last season with the Cardinals.
No cornerback prospects reside in the team’s pipeline, so the franchise could have to start over again in 2018 — especially after not picking up Kyle Fuller‘s fifth-year option.
With Cameron Meredith out for the year, the situation is just as strange now at wide receiver.
In lieu of convincing Jeffery to stay, the Bears went bargain shopping and will be relying on two buy-low options in Wheaton and Wright. Despite lacking the kind of numbers Wright put up with Jake Locker, the former Steelers supporting-caster received the bigger commitment of the two. Wright compiled nearly a 1,100-yard season under now-Bears OC Dowell Loggains with the 2013 Titans and has upside after being marginalized in Tennessee the past two seasons.
Wheaton’s struggled with injuries this offseason and missed 13 games in his contract year. While he did fare decently with the 2015 Steelers (17.0 yards per catch, five touchdown grabs), Wheaton not having the benefit of Antonio Brown could limit his Chicago prospects.
Should Kevin White be unable to stay healthy for a third straight season, Chicago may be forced to retool here in ’18. Instead of deploying wideouts who could grow alongside Trubisky, the Bears have placed some veterans that fit Glennon’s timetable more. (Although, to be fair, Meredith profiled as an ascending talent pre-injury.)
The Bears also have a veteran-laden tight end assembly, with a Zach Miller/Sims combination occupying this spot while Adam Shaheen develops. Sims showed little as a receiver with the Dolphins and is not coming off a season where he displayed much in the run-blocking department — at least, not in the view of PFF — and his contract parallels Glennon’s in being basically a one-year commitment. Virtually no guarantees exist on Sims’ deal in 2018 or ’19, so he’ll have to show more this season than he did during his first four (699 career receiving yards).
In not becoming a full-time starter until his age-30 season, Demps has traversed a unique career arc. The former Eagles and Texans backup and part-time starter with the Giants and Chiefs became a solid back-line defender upon returning to Houston. PFF rated Demps as its No. 10 safety in 2016, when he intercepted a career-high six passes. Based on recent production, the Bears did well to sign Demps for less than $5MM guaranteed. But he’s now 32 and may have delivered his best work already. Nevertheless, Demps is a proven safety who should help Chicago in the short term.
Mitch Trubisky Now Bears' Backup QB
- While this is not exactly a surprise, Mitch Trubisky will ascend to second on the Bears‘ depth chart for Chicago’s Week 1 tilt. The rookie quarterback usurped Mark Sanchez and will back up Mike Glennon on Sunday, John Fox said (via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune, on Twitter). Of this rookie class, only DeShone Kizer will receive an opening day start. Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, C.J. Beathard and Nathan Peterman join Trubisky in being second-stringers entering their first NFL seasons.