There were a lot of grimacing Bears fans Sunday afternoon when their epic comeback came up short to the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field. The Bears were driving down the field in the last minute of the game down by six, and got into the redzone, but Jordan Howard and Josh Bellamy dropped what would have been touchdown passes. The game ended on fourth down when QB Mike Glennon was sacked and the Falcons escaped Soldier Field with a 23-17 victory.
While the Bears showed a lot of great things from their front seven on defense and rookie Tarik Cohen rushed for 66 yards and received 47 total yards with a touchdown, it was a tough game to swallow.
Within all this was receiver Kevin White, the 7th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, who left the game with a shoulder injury. The news got worse after the game when multiple reports said that the Bears fear White broke his collar bone, which would require season-ending surgery. Other reports suggested that is is a shoulder blade injury, but the results have to be confirmed first. Regardless, it is not good for the young wide receiver to suffer yet another injury.
The fear in Chicago is that WR Kevin White broke his collarbone and will require season-ending surgery, per... https://t.co/ouo3jKttyD
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) September 10, 2017
Hearing Kevin White injury could be shoulder blade, not collarbone.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 10, 2017
White's tough go
Kevin White has had several season-ending injuries which resulted in him playing in only five regular season NFL games since being drafted before the 2015 season.
He missed his entire first year when he had surgery on his tibia and then missed 12 games last year when he injured his fibula in week four. If he indeed did break his collar bone, or if any surgery is required, it would be the third time White has needed surgery in his pro career.
So far in the five games he has played in, he has recorded 21 catches for 193 yards. The really unfortunate thing is that it is not just one part of his body that keeps suffering injuries. The Bears were hoping to redeem the horrific 5-11 2014 season, which saw the end of the Marc Trestman/Phil Emery era, with White contributing for the future. It has not worked out at all so far, and it is feared that it may not work at all.
What's next
If White is indeed out for the year, the Bears will have to add more to the receiver corps, which is pretty thin as it it. Cam Meredith is already out for the season with an ACL injury so as of right now it would rely on Kendall Wright, Josh Bellamy, Deonte Thompson and Tre McBride. The Bears will have to live with these guys and hope that they can be serviceable. Ryan Pace could consider adding Tanner Gentry to the active roster from the practice squad, who had a very good preseason before being waived. Other small moves will likely be made to bring in more receiver depth. Tarik Cohen will also likely be used a lot as a throwing target, and hopefully Jordan Howard will improve his catching.
As for the future of Kevin White, this may have been his last game as a Chicago Bear depending on what the diagnosis is. If he is done for the season, the Bears may move on from him. If not, then the Bears may try their best to make him work, but only time will tell.
