Chicago Bears: How important is Kevin White’s injury?

Chicago Bears No. 7 overall pick Kevin White has the long-term potential be the best wide receiver in an excellent 2015 draft class at the position, but his perceived rawness and the sheer number of pass-catching targets on the Bears offense make it possible that he won’t be a huge factor in his first season. He has the size, speed, quickness, catch radius, and playmaking ability after the catch to immediately be the Bears No. 2 wideout across from Alshon Jeffery, but the time he’s missing here in training camp puts him further behind the curve.

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According to ESPN’s Ed Werder, White remains without a timetable to return from his shin injury, and it’s anyone’s guess as to how severe his injury is. White is “pushing” to get back on the field, but John Fox and the Bears are being unsurprisingly cautious with a guy who could become a top-ten wideout in a couple of seasons.

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Werder also reported that the Bears feel “no rush” to get White on the field as quickly as possible, and this is despite the obvious upside he would bring to the table for Jay Cutler in Adam Gases’s new- and presumably less restrictive- passing attack.

Full credit goes to the Bears for not pushing White too hard to return to the field too quickly from this injury, even if the loss of practice reps can really hurt a rookie who still needs to learn the nuances of the position. Contrary to what Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr., and Allen Robinson showed us last year, one of the most difficult college-to-pro transitions is at the wide receiver position, as raw speed and athletic ability aren’t enough to get by against the cream of the crop.

Even top 2014 prospect Sammy Watkins struggled with some consistency issues as a rookie, and he was a can’t-miss prospect coming out of Clemson with elite traits in every department, including on the mental side of the game.

Missing out on training camp reps (again, ODB is an exception to the rule) can cause a receiver to have a lost rookie season, especially if they needed plenty of work to begin with. But pushing a player back too much can lead to future aggravations, so that’s something the Bears are wisely negotiating here.

When looking at White’s situation, the shin injury itself isn’t anything to be overly concerned about, and that’s something BearReport.com’s Aaron Leming confirmed in the following tweet.

I've had multiple question on WR Kevin White. I'm not concerned about his injury. Simply concerned about his development or lack of. #Bears
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) August 4, 2015

So basically, the question everyone has is, “How far does this put White behind the curve?”, and it’s an extremely valid question to have. But since White’s injury doesn’t seem to be a big concern and he’s clamoring to see the field, I get the feeling that we’ll see him on the field sooner rather than later.

Based on his tape last season and the fact that he ran an expanded route tree last year for West Virginia, I’m not as concerned with White’s route-running as others are. His 4.35 wheels, excellent strength, and ability to win over the middle of the field show me that the “raw” label some have attached to him is completely unfair. The Bears took a guy with 4.35 speed and excellent strength seventh overall for a reason beyond upside, and he’s only “raw” in comparison to Amari Cooper, who simply has an uncanny amount of polish and route-running chops for a rookie.

But even if the worst-case scenario happens and Kevin White has a “lost” rookie season, I still think the Bears aren’t in too much trouble here. Yes, it would be a massive disappointment to see someone as talented as White unable to grasp things as a rookie due to a nagging summer injury, but the Bears offense doesn’t have to rely on him to have a big rookie year.

May 27, 2015; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6)during organized team activities at the Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett can move the chains, Jeffery is a true No. 1 receiver in every sense, Eddie Royal looks poised for a big season in the slot after quietly producing in back-to-back seasons wit the San Diego Chargers, and Marquess Wilson has upside worth tapping into.

As the smart guys at Rotoworld have noted at several points in the offseason, Fox is known for taking it slowly with rookies, and we saw an example (note: this is a very loose comparison due to their completely different situations) of this last year with Indiana product Cody Latimer.

While it is discouraging to see that White has still been unable to get healthy from this shin injury, Fox and others have displayed no concern about it as a long-term issue. The missed time could set him back a bit, but even if White’s talent isn’t able to shine through this season, the Bears have enough weapons around Cutler to succeed on offense; White being behind the curve, as a worst-case, would just prevent them from being able to use a likely big-time playmaker to the best of his abilities in Year 1.

In all honesty, I don’t think it’s time to worry about that just yet, because I’m high enough on White to believe that it will all work out this year, unless if the coaching staff chooses not to try and make him a big factor as a rookie.

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