Kyle Fuller won’t play this season.
The Bears announced Wednesday that they would not activate him by the 3 p.m. deadline, meaning that the former first-round is no longer eligible to return to games this season.
“I think any time a guy gets injured, it’s disappointing,” coach John Fox said Wednesday. “It’s nobody’s fault. In this case, we just didn’t deem him our best option for a roster spot, to move to the active roster right now.”
His Bears career could be over. The Bears could explore the trade market for Fuller, but it is expected to be thin after going a full season without playing. The cornerback had preseason arthroscopic knee surgery and was actually on the Bears’ 53-man roster to start the season, but was placed on IR in late September.
“I just listen to my body,” Fuller said. “It tells me what I can and can’t do. Right now I can’t go out there and play. That’s the line, I guess.” The Bears had 21 days to practice before the team needed to decide whether to activate him. GM Ryan Pace told Fuller on Tuesday, Fox said.
A day earlier, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said that Fuller wasn’t lobbying to play, and questioned his desire to return.
“That was definitely not true,” Fuller said. “I think I’ve been communicating with the team and just letting them know how much I want to be back, showing them I’m working and trying to get back. It really just came down to not quite being ready to play. I think that’s all it was.”
