The NFL world will be watching whether Khalil Mack can get ready in time for the Bears’ season opener Sunday.
The Bears will be watching two other players, too.
Rookie inside linebacker Roquan Smith is recovering from tightness in his left hamstring he first felt two weeks ago, and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd had surgery 16 days ago to repair a broken right hand.
Both participated in a light practice Monday. It was the Bears’ first practice in six days, though both players did some pregame work before the preseason finale Thursday against the Bills.
Smith is ‘‘making gains’’ physically, coach Matt Nagy said.
‘‘He’s been stacking good days,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘There hasn’t been a setback. He’s been going well. And so we’re getting to that point where . . . let’s keep being cautiously optimistic with him. But we like where he’s at.’’
Enough to start him Sunday against the Packers? Probably not. Nick Kwiatkoski has been solid, and Smith has yet to prove he has the stamina to play a full game.
The Bears figure to get him in for some snaps, provided he’s healthy. Nagy made it sound as though Smith will be brought along deliberately in the first few weeks.
‘‘Whether it’s him playing all the game or him playing in packages, our coaches will balance that out, and they’ll know how he fits within the scheme and what he does best,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘And it’ll probably be a game-by-game thing to where he gets fully up to speed. Who knows? It could be the entire game, it could be 10 plays. I don’t have that answer. But we’ll find out, and then we’ll go from there after Week 1.’’
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Similarly, the Bears could customize a snap count for Mack, who didn’t participate in training camp because of a holdout with the Raiders. Still, they figure to give Mack more say in his playing time than Smith, given his veteran status and pedigree.
Floyd, meanwhile, should play — hopefully opposite Mack — while wearing a club on his right hand.
‘‘I feel good that he’ll be playing,’’ Nagy said.
Floyd wore the club Monday, in part to get used to it. His dexterity will be limited for the first few weeks.
‘‘He was out there running around, just going through his assignments,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘Nothing’s affected with his legs, so he was good there. You just gotta get used to feeling how that is with your hand in a club. But he did well.’’
He’ll do better with Mack rushing from the other side.
‘‘[Mack] is going to require a lot of attention from the offensive side,’’ cornerback Prince Amukamara said. ‘‘Probably a lot of double teams. [Defensive end] Akiem [Hicks] was getting the double teams. Now I’m sure it’s going to open Akiem up. It’s going to open Floyd up. It’s going to make our jobs on the back end a lot easier. Just like I said, his presence brings a whole new dynamic to our team. It’s going to help us a lot.’’
Guard Kyle Long said he feels relieved when he sees Mack, Floyd, Hicks and linebacker Danny Trevathan on the other side of the ball.
‘‘You can’t scheme against [Mack], scheme against Akiem, scheme against ‘Flo,’ ’’ defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris said. ‘‘Guys are going to get to the quarterback. I’m excited for Week 1 to see how these guys play.’’
