Bears injury update: Montgomery questionable, Johnson doubtful for Vikings game
Bears running back David Montgomery could make his return on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
Montgomery, who exited the team's Week 3 win over the Houston Texans after just 3 carries, was limited for the second straight practice Friday with an ankle injury. The Bears listed Montgomery as questionable for Sunday's game.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson (quad) was also limited Friday and is listed as doubtful for Sunday.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus was encouraged by what he saw from Montgomery during Friday's practice.
"We'll see how it goes," Eberflus said. "Right now he's listed as questionable, so that's pretty good. We'll see where it goes. He moved around at practice really good and he looked good at practice."
The Bears' lead running back suffered an ankle injury during the first quarter against Houston on Sept. 25. Montgomery didn't practice all of last week and returned for the first time Thursday in limited action.
Montgomery has rushed for 159 yards on 35 carries this season in the final year of his rookie contract. Khalil Herbert has stepped in for Montgomery and leads the team with 317 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. The second-year running back rushed for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns after Montgomery left the game against Houston and finished with 77 yards against the New York Giants on Sunday.
While Herbert has done an admirable job of filling in for Montgomery, Eberflus was excited for the possibility of his top rusher's return.
"He's looked good and he's moving around well," Eberflus said of Montgomery. "He's got a good spirit about him and he's got brightness in his eyes, he's excited about getting going."
Defensive lineman Justin Jones (hip), linebacker Matt Adams (hamstring), tight end Ryan Griffin (achilles), cornerback Jaylon Jones (illness) and linebacker Sterling Weatherford were all full participants Friday after being limited earlier in the week. Safety Dane Cruikshank (hamstring) was limited Friday and is doubtful for Sunday.
Eberflus was hopeful regarding Johnson's status after watching him practice Friday and will see how the cornerback feels before Sunday's game. Johnson has missed the last two games because of a quad injury he suffered in practice.
Eberflus said his staff will need to consider the quick turnaround the Bears will have from Sunday. The Bears host Washington on Thursday night.
"We take that into consideration with all our players, but for sure, you have to do that," Eberflus said. "You have to make sure that they're humming and going for this Sunday and always the quick turnaround is a factor to it."
In the meantime, Eberflus is looking for continued growth from rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon to supplement the secondary during Johnson's absence. Opposing quarterbacks have zeroed in on the rookie and while Eberflus said there's always competition within the positions, he's confident Gordon can learn from his experiences and use them to become better.
"He's learning and he's getting better at those things," Eberflus said. "It's a lot of experiences to go through as a rookie and you have to put them in there in order to have those experiences. He has the talent, he has the want to, he has the desire, he's tough. He has everything you need to succeed."