Could Bears TE Burton be ready in time to face Broncos?
Bears tight end Trey Burton was experiencing “not much pain” during warmups before the season-opener against the Green Bay Packers last week, but he said the decision to sit the game out was not up to him.
The sixth-year veteran is dealing with a groin injury, which he said Thursday occurred “a couple days before” the Packers game. The injury is not quite the same as the groin injury that sidelined him for last year's playoff game against the Eagles and required sports hernia surgery in March.
“Some parts of it (felt the same), but not as severe,” Burton said.
Burton was listed as “limited” in Thursday's injury report, but he said he's day-to-day right now as the Bears prepare to face Denver on Sunday.
“I'm hoping that by Sunday I'll be good and that I'll be able to have a say if I'm good to go or not,” Burton said. “Every day is a different day. Some days I feel really good, and some days I don't feel good at all. It's been a very humbling process.”
A versatile, athletic tight end, Burton was a contributor in all 16 regular season games last year, hauling in 54 receptions for 569 yards and six touchdowns. He was scratched with a groin injury on the eve of the playoff game in January, and the Bears offense was sluggish without him.
The offense had myriad issues in the Week 1 loss to the Packers last week, but a healthy Burton no doubt would provide another weapon.
Bears coach Matt Nagy said there could be a scenario where Burton remains limited in practice but still plays Sunday.
“He did have a good day (Wednesday), which is good,” Nagy said. “We want to stack those up, and when we get to the weekend we'll see exactly where he's at.”
Burton has played in at least 15 games in each of his five NFL seasons and had been mostly injury-free prior to his groin issues.
“I've never had to be honest about how I'm feeling,” Burton said. “I've been able to push through it my whole life and part of that is being undrafted and not being able to afford being injured. (I'm just having to be honest with what's going on and take it from there.”
Goldman update:
Bears defensive lineman Eddie Goldman did not practice on Thursday with an oblique injury.
“We'll keep an eye on that,” Nagy said Thursday. “I think he's going to be OK. We'll just kind of see how that goes and see how he is.”
Perfect so far:
Playing this week in the high altitude of Denver, kicker Eddy Pineiro should have a few extra yards on his field goal range. Pineiro said it felt nice to make his first kick at Soldier Field — a 38-yard field goal — in the Bears loss, 10-3, to Green Bay.
“That first one's always nice to get out of the way,” Pineiro said. “I've got to continue to keep making kicks. That's what I'm here for: To make kicks. Nothing changes.”
The first-quarter field goal turned out to be one of the few things for Bears fans to cheer about that night.
“Now let's see how he does in Game 2, and I expect him to play well,” Bears special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said.