Former Pro Bowl running back Lamar Miller’s comeback bid begins Monday.
The Bears plan to promote Miller from their practice squad Monday, NFL Network reported, meaning he’s likely to play for the first time since tearing his ACL in the 2019 preseason. While the Bears have Cordarrelle Patterson, Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce ahead of Miller on the active roster, there’d be no reason to add him if he wasn’t going to play Monday against the Vikings.
Miller, a star in 2018 with the Texans, first tried to make his way back with the Patriots. He signed with them in August and was cut at the regular-season roster deadline. The Bears picked him up for their practice squad Oct. 5.
They’ve been vague as to whether his knee has recovered enough for him to be effective, but coach Matt Nagy seemed optimistic.
“It’s something we’re definitely looking into,” he said. “He’s done a good job of being able to continue to practice hard each and every day.”
Miller, 29, made his first Pro Bowl in 2018 by rushing for 973 yards and adding 163 yards receiving with a total of six touchdowns. He averaged a career-high 5.1 yards per carry for the Dolphins in 2014, when new Bears play caller Bill Lazor was his offensive coordinator.
From 2014 through ’18 with the Dolphins and Texans, Miller had 6,255 yards of total offense and scored 37 touchdowns.
The Bears are also certain to promote practice squad quarterback Tyler Bray, who will back up Nick Foles while Mitch Trubisky recovers from a shoulder injury. Nagy’s report on Trubisky made it sound likely he’d be back by the Nov. 29 game against the Packers.
One player still in question is center Cody Whitehair, who was sidelined by a calf injury Oct. 26 then tested positive for coronavirus the following week. Nagy was hopeful the Bears would be able to activate him from the reserve/COVID-19 list in time to play Monday.
