Long inching closer to return
Kyle Long shed the walking boot from his right foot this week.
The Bears remain open to the possibility their three-time Pro Bowl right guard could return, either for the season finale against the Vikings or a potential playoff game.
“He’s progressing the right way,” coach Matt Nagy said Thursday. “He’s in good spirits, and that is a positive for us.”
Long hurt his foot during the win against the Jets on Oct. 28 and was put on injured reserve, meaning he could return to game action no sooner than Week 17.
“It could be a possibility,” Nagy said. “We just got to see, though. It’s one of those deals, it’s just all is going to be dependent on how he heals from everything and then where he’s at, and we’ll just continue to monitor that.”
Bryan Witzmann, who started 13 games when Nagy was with the Chiefs, has settled in at right guard. The Bears are coming off their best rushing game of the season. They posted 194 rushing yards against the Rams, topping the 161 they gained in an overtime loss to the Dolphins.
Robinson back at practice
Wide receiver Allen Robinson returned to practice on a limited basis after missing practice a day earlier with a hip injury. Nagy characterized Wednesday as a “maintenance day” for the veteran, whose 615 receiving yards rank second on the team. He’s expected to play Sunday.
“We’re kind of getting to that point in the season right now with some of these guys where it can help them to have a little rest,” Nagy said. “And that’s really what that was with A-Rob.”
The Bears had an otherwise clean injury report Thursday.
Houston-Carson could see some action
The Bears will lean on veteran Sherrick McManis to replace the injured Bryce Callahan at slot cornerback, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. DeAndre Houston-Carson also might contribute. The Bears could use him in dime coverage or to spell McManis.
Houston-Carson, a special-teams stalwart, has played only 28 defensive snaps this season. He has played a total of 54 defensive downs in three seasons with the Bears.
“He’s had a lot of experience in practice doing it for us,” Fangio said. “Very little game experience. He’s a smart guy. He has good instincts, and I know personally he has been chomping at the bit to get some defensive snaps. So I think he’ll be ready mentally and emotionally.”
This and that
Three Packers missed practice: offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga (knee), defensive tackle Kenny Clark (elbow) and cornerback Bashaud Breeland (groin/non-injury).
♦ The Bears hosted the IHSA Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year winners at practice: Proviso East’s Oliver Speller; Glenwood’s David Hay; Barrington’s Joe Sanchez; Glenbard East’s John Walters; Sacred Heart Griffin’s Ken Leonard; Montini Catholic’s Mike Bukovsky; Marist’s Ron Dawczak; Oak Park-River Forest’s John Hoerster; and Brother Rice’s Brian Badke. They’ll be honored at halftime Sunday.