Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
Considering the new strict NFL COVID rules, do we know about how many Bears players have been vaccinated?
Reid U.
Sturtevant, Wisconsin
Coach Matt Nagy revealed Thursday that the Bears are "either at or above" an 85 percent COVID-19 vaccination rate. Nagy said that a couple players got vaccinated this week upon reporting to training camp or were in the process of doing so. Said Nagy: "I feel really good about that. That's really kind of the update where we're at there. We know who the guys are that are not fully vaccinated, which helps us out, and that number keeps getting smaller and smaller." The NFL has implemented numerous incentives for players to get vaccinated. For example, unvaccinated players must take a COVID test every day throughout the season versus once every 14 days for vaccinated individuals. In addition, teams would have to forfeit a game if a COVID outbreak among unvaccinated players causes a cancellation, and in that scenario, players from both teams would not be paid.
I was wondering about the health of Tarik Cohen.
Brett S.
Elburn, Illinois
The latest update on Tarik Cohen's recovery from a torn ACL he sustained in the Bears' third game last season came Tuesday on the first day of training camp. General manager Ryan Pace revealed that placing the running back/return specialist on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to start camp "allows us to bring him along at the right rate." Pace added that Cohen has "been working his tail off. He's here every single day grinding. It just allows us to take our time as he continues to rehab. So, we'll see where that goes. But with him on PUP, we don't have to rush into anything." Players on the PUP list during training camp do not count against the 90-man roster and can be activated at any time.
Aside from rookie quarterback Justin Fields, have any other Bears players donned jersey No. 1?
Napoleon B.
Orland Hills, Illinois
Justin Fields is the 10th player in Bears history to wear No. 1. The first-round draft pick was preceded by Jim Conzelman (1920), Paddy Driscoll (1920, 1926-29), Jake Lanum (1920-24), Oscar Johnson (1924), Lee Artoe (1940-43), Jeff Jaeger (1996-99), Ryan Quigley (2012), Mike Nugent (2017) and Cody Parkey (2018).
Chalk Talk features fan questions multiple times each week. Email your question to Larry.
