Bears receiver Kevin White doesn’t want to hype up his opportunity. He figures to see more snaps Sunday if rookie Anthony Miller sits out with a shoulder injury.
But White made it clear that he views every game the same way.
“I just try to do my job,” White said Wednesday. “Whenever I get out there and my name is called, I want to be able to make the big plays like I know I can. When that happens, sure, after that, I’ll be excited, yeah.”
Miller, who dislocated his left shoulder Sunday, was one of three Bears who didn’t practice Wednesday.
Judging by his usage this year, White would seemingly be in line for more playing time in his place. White, the No. 7 overall pick in 2015, has played only 26 snaps this season. Josh Bellamy, the last of the team’s five active receivers, has played 22 downs. Rookie Javon Wims figures to play for the first time if Miller can’t go.
White doesn’t have a catch and has not been targeted through three games, though the Bears seem to like using him as an outside blocker on screens.
That Bucs receiver Mike Evans — the seventh pick a year earlier — enters the game as the league’s second-leading receiver only paints White’s struggles in starker contrast. White, who didn’t get his fifth-year option picked up, said he’s focused simply on trying to improve with each practice.
“That’s the mindset I have — control what I can control and just go to work every day,” he said. “And whatever happens, happens.”
Cornerbacks hurt
Cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper did not practice as they recover from hamstring injuries. Amukamara hurt his against the Cardinals, while Cooper was inactive after getting injured during practice last week.
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The Bears’ schedule will influence how they handle Amukamara, Cooper and Miller.
“We’ll have to get a feel for each day as they go,” coach Matt Nagy said. “But anytime you have a bye week and have guys with injuries in particular — whether it’s a soft-tissue injury or not — it always helps.”
This and that
Safety DeAndre Houston-Carson, one of the Bears’ top special-teams players, practiced in full for the first time since breaking his right forearm in the third preseason game.
• The Bears cut defensive back Jonathon Mincy from the practice squad Tuesday night and replaced him with defensive back John Franklin III. But on Wednesday night, they undid the move, cutting Franklin and resigning Mincy to the practice squad.
