Chicago Bears fans are barely breathing as their team somehow managed to keep their playoff hopes alive. They get more good news as defensive lineman Akiem Hicks has returned to practice for the team.
According to Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper, this has been the first time since Week 5 against the Oakland Raiders that he has participated in the team's Monday practice. It's not yet known if he was able to do full contact, but the fact that he was allowed to train with his teammates is a positive sign for the Bears.
The coaching staff is particularly pleased that he's healthy enough to participate in practices.
“It was nice to see him out there on the field,” head coach Matt Nagy said, via the team’s website. “He’s been on the sidelines, he’s popping in and out. He’s been around in meetings and all that. He’s never left us. We’ve felt him, which is great. But to see him actually out there on a very kick-back tempo type of practice was really good.”
Alper also revealed that he's not eligible to play against the Dallas Cowboys this Thursday. However, he should be more than prepared for their next match, which would be against another tough opponent in the Green Bay Packers. They face the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings after that game, so his return to the game was just in time.
Hicks wasn't as effective for the Bears as he was last season, where he notched 55 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. He's only made six tackles, a single sack, and one fumble recovery in the four games he's played.
However, the Bears definitely would rather have a slightly inefficient Hicks on the field rather than not play him at all.
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