Playing through pain as a rookie will cost Anthony Miller months of preparation leading up to his sophomore campaign. General manager Ryan Pace, speaking with reporters at the NFL combine, said on Wednesday that the Chicago Bears wide receiver had surgery on his shoulder recently and could miss a portion of his team's offseason activities in spring and early summer.

Pace previously said on January 14th that Miller was planning to go under the knife during the offseason.

The University of Memphis product suffered multiple shoulder dislocations during the regular season, including in the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. Miller missed just one game, though, also playing in Chicago's January 6th loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs, evidence of competitiveness and toughness that endeared him to teammates, coaches, and fans alike in 2018.

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“He’s just hungry every day,” quarterback Mitchell Trubisky said of Miller last season, per Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “He has a lot of charisma about him. He just has that dog mentality that nobody can guard him. He tells me he’s open every play.”

A second-round pick last April, Miller had 33 catches for 423 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns last season. He also had six carries out of the backfield and split time returning kicks, emerging as one of the Bears' most versatile playmakers and a valued member of first-year coach Matt Nagy's innovative offensive attack.

No player wants to sit out while his teammates are on the field getting better. Considering Miller will almost certainly be ready for training camp, though, he shouldn't miss much of a beat heading into next season.