Kyle Fuller Injury: Updates on Bears CB’s Knee and Return
Published by Adam Wells on August 14, 2016
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears secondary was recently dealt a huge blow, as cornerback Kyle Fuller suffered an injury to his knee that required surgery. It’s unclear when he will return to the field.
Continue for updates.
Latest on Fuller’s Recovery Timeline
Thursday, Aug. 18
Bears head coach John Fox said Fuller is “week-to-week” after the corner underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee, per David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune.
Latest on Fuller’s Playing Status
Thursday, Aug. 18
Fuller is expected to miss the remainder of the preseason, but the hope is that he will be ready to play by Week 1 of the regular season, per Adam Hoge of WGN Radio.
Pace Comments on Fuller’s Injury
Thursday, Aug. 18
General manager Ryan Pace spoke about the team’s approach to Fuller’s recovery, per Hoge:
He’s kind of had this nagging injury that we thought maybe he could play with, but as time went on, you could tell it was affecting his movement skills. So for us, last week, it was like, all right guys, let’s press pause, let’s take another look at this, and make sure we’re exploring all our options. And that’s what we’ve done. So he’s been getting evaluated over the last couple of days and I’m optimistic that’s something we can get ahold of to make him a better player.
Fuller Was Bright Spot on Bears Defense
Fuller, who was drafted 14th overall by the Bears in 2014, quickly established himself as the team’s top cornerback. He led the team with 10 passes defensed and tied for the team lead with four interceptions as a rookie.
Last season, opposing quarterbacks avoided Fuller with Pro Football Focus noting he was the fifth-least targeted cornerback based on coverage snaps. The only players ahead of him were Desmond Trufant, Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman and Cary Williams.
The Bears are still trying to build their defensive depth, including the secondary. Veteran Tracy Porter is in his second season with the team. Omar Bolden was signed away from Denver to play behind Fuller.
On a team that’s still lacking impact talent on defense, the Bears losing their best cornerback for any period of time is going to force them to make some changes to avoid falling apart.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is one of the best in the business, so he will know how to adapt. But the Bears desperately need Fuller to return quickly if they want to challenge for an NFC North title.
Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com
