Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is set to return for the team's Week 6 game against the Detroit Lions. Jeffery is back on the field after missing four games with a hamstring injury and was running routes in pregame warmups, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.
Alshon Jeffery expected to play vs. Lions
The Bears WR returns after missing the last four games with a hamstring injury.
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Dickerson said that Jeffery was running deep routes before the game and didn’t appear to be limited.
Jeffery was injured in Week 1 and has been limited in practice for two weeks. Bears head coach John Fox admitted that Jeffery's absence has taken its toll on everyone.
“The frustration level ... it’s understandable on all sides,” he said Monday.
Even if he's still not 100 percent, Jeffery's return is a boost to Chicago's depleted receiver corps. The fourth-year receiver caught 85 passes for 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2014, and was expected to step up as the new No. 1 receiver when Brandon Marshall got traded away to the New York Jets.
Despite the team riding a two-game winning streak, Jay Cutler and the Bears need a healthy Jeffery if they hope to keep progressing. The Bears are No. 28 in the NFL in points scored and No. 27 in passing yards, so the addition of the team's clear-cut top receiver should help bolster a sub-par offense.
Through the first five weeks of the season, tight end Martellus Bennett leads the Bears with 28 receptions, while Matt Forte and Eddie Royal are tied at 18 each, the second highest totals on the team.
Jeffery played in the season opener for the Bears and caught five passes for 78 yards against the Green Bay Packers, while playing through a calf injury that caused him to miss time in training camp.
See More:
