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8 Bears returning from injury heading into training camp

The Chicago Bears will report to training camp on July 27, where there will be a handful of players that are recovering from an injury.

Whether it was players who landed on injured reserve, like running back Tarik Cohen and cornerback Artie Burns, or those who never quite landed there, including cornerback Jaylon Johnson and linebacker Roquan Smith, there are some key contributors making their return in time for camp.

Ahead of the start of training camp, here’s a look at those Bears players who are returning from injury in 2021.

RB Tarik Cohen

AP Photo/Jose Juarez

Shortly after signing a three-year contract extension, Tarik Cohen found his season cut shot when he tore his ACL returning a punt in Week 3 against the Falcons. It was the first major injury Cohen had suffered since being drafted by the Bears in 2017, and his absence was felt both on offense and special teams. Cohen will certainly be a player to monitor during training camp, where he's expected to be ready to return to practice later this month.

CB Jaylon Johnson

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson got off to a promising start during his rookie season, where he totaled 15 passes defended in just 13 games. Unfortunately, Johnson suffered a shoulder injury during Week 13, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Luckily, his shoulder injury didn't require surgery. Now, Johnson has been thrust into the CB1 role with the release of Kyle Fuller, where all eyes will be on him as he fills Fuller's big shoes.

LB Roquan Smith

AP Photo/Kyusung Gong

Linebacker Roquan Smith is coming off a breakout season with the Bears, where he totaled a career-high 139 tackles, including 98 solo tackles, 18 tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, four sacks, seven pass defenses, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. But Smith didn't make it through the entire season unscathed, as he suffered an elbow injury during Chicago's Week 17 finale against the Packers. While Smith's injury wasn't a serious one, it was enough to sideline him for most of that regular season finale and the wild-card playoff game against the Saints, where his absence was noticeable.

OL James Daniels

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

James Daniels has gotten off to an encouraging start in his young career, and he appeared primed for a breakout season in 2020. While he got off to a promising start, his year was cut short with a season-ending pectoral injury in Week 5. Daniels has already proven to be a versatile interior lineman, playing both guard and center during his career. Daniels still has a lot to prove, especially during a contract year, but there's certainly optimism surrounding his future in Chicago.

WR Dazz Newsome

AP Photo/David Banks, Pool

Wide receiver Dazz Newsome was among a 2021 rookie draft class that received glowing reviews. Unfortunately for Newsome, he suffered a broken collarbone during OTAs after going up for a ball and landing on his shoulder awkwardly. Newsome had surgery soon after, which has a recovery time of around eight weeks. The expectation is that Newsome will be ready in time for training camp later this month, where he'll be competing for one of those valuable roster spots among receivers.

CB Artie Burns

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Last summer, cornerback Artie Burns was getting first-team reps on defense, where he was battling for the starting job opposite Kyle Fuller. But Burns never saw the regular season for the Bears last season, as he suffered a torn ACL during a training camp practice last August. Chicago re-signed Burns to a one-year deal earlier this offseason, where he'll compete for another vacant starting job, this time opposite Jaylon Johnson.

CB Tre Roberson

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears really did have some bad luck with injuries at cornerback last year, and former CFL star Tre Roberson was the first to suffer a season-ending injury before the start of the year. Roberson suffered a broken foot while training ahead of the start of the season. Roberson signed a two-year deal with Chicago last offseason, so he returns from injury just in time for a chance to compete for the starting cornerback job opposite Jaylon Johnson.

CB Michael Joseph

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears re-signed cornerback Michael Joseph to a one-year deal this offseason. Joseph signed with Chicago as an undrafted free agent in 2018, where he'd spend his first two seasons on the practice squad. He was added to the 53-man roster for the final two weeks of the 2019 season but didn't see any live-game action. Joseph missed the entire 2020 season after being placed on injured reserve Aug. 31 followed by the reserve/COVID-19 list Oct. 24.

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