Bears notebook: David Montgomery breathes a sigh of relief

The Bears running back, recovering from a groin injury he suffered on Aug. 26, had full participation in practice Thursday. But OLB Robert Quinn (ankle) did not practice.

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Bears running back David Montgomery (32) led the Bears in rushing last season as a rookie with 889 yards on 242 carries (3.7 avg.) and six touchdowns.

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

When running back David Montgomery suffered a groin injury, even he thought it was as bad as the media made it out to be. Maybe worse.

“I thought I tore something, actually — just how it happened,” Montgomery said. “Really just trying to be sure that it wasn’t as serious as I thought it was. Luckily there wasn’t a tear, so to the grace of God, I’m able to get back to rehab and training so I can get back on the field.” 

Two days after Broncos linebacker Von Miller suffered a dislocated tendon in an ankle that likely will end his season, the Bears look like they got a relative break after Montgomery practiced in full Thursday and showed no ill effects of the groin injury he suffered on Aug. 26 during individual drills at practice.

Bears coach Matt Nagy and Montgomery played it coy when asked about Montgomery’s status for Sunday’s season opener against the Lions at Ford Field. But his full participation in practice Thursday after being limited Wednesday seemed like a step in the right direction. 

For Montgomery, it’s a delicate balance between in eagerness to play — “Your best ability is availability,” — and avoiding the risk of aggravating the injury by coming back too soon.

“I’d be hurting the team more if I was to come back earlier than I was supposed to and continue to be hurt and hurt myself again,” Montgomery said. “The biggest thing is being smart with myself, being smart with my body and being sure I communicate with the training staff and the coaches to let them know how I feel.” 

Quinn in limbo

Outside linebacker Robert Quinn (ankle) did not practice Thursday. Khalil Mack (knee) had limited participation. Quinn is of particular concern because he has practiced little during the entire training camp — due to a “ramp-up” after taking care of a personal issue. Nagy said the ankle injury is unrelated to the ramp-up. But he would not comment further on Quinn’s status for Sunday’s game.

Injury report

Running back Cordarrelle Patterson (knee), wide receiver Javon Wims (achilles) and offensive lineman Jason Spriggs (knee) had full participation Thursday after being limited Wednesday. 

For the Lions, wide receiver Kenny Golladay (hamstring) and right tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai (foot) did not practice. Rookie cornerback Jeff Okudah (hamstring), the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, was limited. 

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