Will Bears WR Robinson play Sunday? 'That's the plan'
A month after suffering a hamstring injury in the final minutes against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 8, Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson is finally nearing a return to the field Sunday.
"That's the plan," Robinson said. "So everything is trending in the right direction. We'll just continue to see how this week goes."
Robinson returned to practice Wednesday, exactly one month after injuring his hamstring.
He hurt his hamstring at the tail end of a 39-yard gain on a pass from quarterback Justin Fields with just under two minutes remaining against Pittsburgh. The big gain set up Darnell Mooney's go-ahead touchdown to cap a beautiful fourth-quarter drive by the Bears offense.
Robinson said the injury occurred not while he was running, but as the Steelers pushed him out of bounds.
"As I was going to the ground, I kind of overextended and that's when it happened," Robinson said. "I kind of knew right away."
Robinson missed a month of action, including three games. The veteran receiver hadn't missed a game since 2018. He went two full seasons with 16 games played and was the team's top receiver during both 2019 and 2020.
Robinson's likely return coincides with the return of rookie quarterback Justin Fields. That will, hopefully, elevate a Bears offense this week heading into an NFC North matchup with the rival Green Bay Packers.
Robinson had previously dealt with a minor ankle injury earlier this season. That injury kept him out of practice, but not any games.
"Having to deal with those, unfortunately, is part of the game," Robinson said. "I was able to put together two fully healthy seasons. I played every game for two straight years. Running into that is unfortunate, but I'm being able to just push through it and bounce back."
Darnell Mooney has stepped up in Robinson's absence. He had back-to-back games with at least 120 receiving yards before a quiet game last week against Arizona.
Bears wide receivers coach Mike Furrey has enjoyed watching Robinson cheer for Mooney. Furrey believes Robinson is genuinely excited for the younger Mooney, who leads the Bears with 51 receptions, 721 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions.
"You have a big fish and then you have a fifth-round draft pick who comes in and is looking up to the big fish," Furrey said. "And then all of a sudden, they start respecting each other. And one's without the other right now, but yet also, at the same time, we all know A-Rob. So it's been fun to watch him watch Darnell."
Having both of them available could work wonders for the Bears offense. Defenses have to pay attention to Robinson, even though his numbers this season don't catch the eye (30 catches, 339 yards, one touchdown).
With Mooney and Robinson on the field, defenses have to pick their poison.
Robinson, no doubt, was hoping for another big season after back-to-back 1,000-yard efforts. He has a lot riding on it. The 28-year-old could become a free agent if the Bears don't use the franchise tag on him a second time. He's due for a big payday.
The Bears haven't utilized Robinson the same way they did in previous years. Having two new quarterbacks in Fields and Andy Dalton has to play a part in his drop in production. The offense, as a whole, has been much less efficient in the passing game, which means a lot of guys aren't producing the receiving numbers they normally would.
Missing a month with an injury didn't help, either. But he's hoping that's in the past.
"Seasons like this are tough," Robinson said. "They're extremely tough. But again, being able to try to compartmentalize all of it and put certain things to the side and try to focus on the main things, which are continuing to improve, figuring out how to get better, figuring out how to possibly change the result that's happening and figure out how to continue to put yourself in a position to ultimately do what you want to do, and that's win the game."