Trubisky expects to return for Bears’ showdown Sunday vs. Rams

Nagy still being cautious, but Trubisky appears ready for Rams

Wide receiver Taylor Gabriel is ready to have his quarterback back.

He assumes that goes for the rest of Chicago, too.

“We miss him,” Gabriel said. “Everybody misses him. The fans miss him, [media members] miss him.”

Not for much longer. Mitch Trubisky practiced in full Wednesday and expects to start against the Rams on Sunday night, three weeks to the day after injuring his right shoulder.

“I’m very motivated and very excited to get back out there this week,” Trubisky said before practice. “There are positives you can take away from being on [the sideline]. For me, there are not many besides, ‘I need to be out there with my guys.’ ”

Trubisky and coach Matt Nagy set a distinctly different tone from the week before, when Trubisky was technically a limited participant but did only footwork drills for the first two days of practice.

Player and coach are preparing for a start.

“I feel strong that he will play,” Nagy said, “but I gotta see more.”

Nagy was careful to sprinkle his optimism with caveats. He wants to make sure Trubisky’s throws are accurate and his pain is minimal during practice this week. The Bears want to make sure that any soreness Trubisky might wake up with is within the normal range. And Nagy wants to continue to protect Trubisky’s greatest asset.

“It’s different than any other injury because it’s my throwing shoulder,” Trubisky said. “It’s something that I’m gonna need for the rest of my career, obviously. Anytime there’s any pain, I’m just communicating that and being smart about it.’’

The Bears didn’t let Trubisky throw for 12 days after Vikings safety Harrison Smith drove his right shoulder into the ground Nov. 18.

In the portion of practice open to the media, Trubisky did the same drills as backups Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray, appearing to throw smoothly.

“As long as I can show them that I can go out there every day and make all the throws and be the player that they know I am,” Trubisky said, “I feel confident that I’ll be able to go.”

Trubisky’s rehab work ramped up leading into the Bears’ most high-profile game of the year. He said his recovery has gone ahead of schedule.

“Just to rest it, let the body heal itself,” Trubisky said. “Sleep is a big thing, ice, [electric stimulation machine], everything that they got in there. Everything that you can possibly think of, I did this past week.”

Gabriel said Trubisky’s return would improve the timing of the offense, which he said felt off during the Bears’ 30-27 overtime loss to the Giants.

While he blamed rainy weather and Giants blitzes, too, he admitted that Daniel didn’t have the same kind of chemistry with his receivers because of a lack of practice snaps this year.

The upset loss didn’t change a thing about the Bears’ recovery plan for Trubisky, Nagy said.

“I could care less about the loss with his urgency,” he said. “It’s all based on where he’s at.”

He was in a good place Wednesday.

Trubisky even smiled when asked about his Ping-Pong game. On Monday night, wide receiver Josh Bellamy shot a video of Trubisky, and his right shoulder, rocketing table-tennis forearms. Bears Twitter was, well, atwitter.

“I mean, I’m good to go,” Trubisky said. “If I can play PingPong, hopefully I can throw a football just as well.”