Outside linebacker Robert Quinn was the only Bears player who did not practice Wednesday in advance of Sunday's season opener in Detroit.
Quinn, a veteran pass rusher who signed with the Bears in free agency, was listed on the first injury report of the week as having an ankle injury.
Five players practiced on a limited basis: Outside linebacker Khalil Mack (knee), running back David Montgomery (groin), receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (knee), offensive lineman Jason Spriggs and receiver Javon Wims (Achilles).
Right guard Germain Ifedi worked out without restrictions despite a triceps injury.
For the Lions, tight end Hunter Bryant (hamstring) and safety C.J. Moore (hamstring) did not practice. Seven players were limited: receivers Danny Amendola (hamstring) and Kenny Golladay (hamstring), running back D'Andre Swift (hip), tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai (foot), defensive end Da'Shawn Hand (groin), linebacker Julian Okwara (knee) and cornerback Darryl Roberts (groin).
Cairo coming: With Eddy Piñeiro (groin) on injured reserve for at least for the first three games of the season, coach Matt Nagy revealed Wednesday "it's safe to say" that Cairo Santos will be moved from the practice squad to the active roster and kick Sunday against the Lions.
Because of COVID-19, a new rule that was implemented for this season only allows NFL teams to protect four players per week on their practice squad from being signed by other clubs. The untouchable Bears this week are Santos, quarterback Tyler Bray, running back Artavis Pierce and offensive lineman Jamon Brown.
One provision that was already included in the new CBA enables teams to activate two practice-squad players per game—thus increasing the size of the active roster from 53 to 55—and then return them to the practice squad the day after the game without exposing them to waivers. So the Bears would not have to release a player to activate Santos.
Santos has converted 80.6 percent of his field-goal attempts (108 of 134) over six NFL seasons with the Chiefs (2014-17), Bears (2017), Rams (2018), Buccaneers (2018) and Titans (2019).
On the rise: Nagy told reporters last week that third-year receiver Anthony Miller "had an amazing training camp," showing great improvement after a slow start.
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky concurred Wednesday, crediting Miller's increased understanding of the offense and attention to detail.
"I think he's taken a step just being a pro, how to handle himself, how to study when he's outside the building and how to come prepared every day," Trubisky said. "He's always practiced his tail off and he's going to give you 110 percent every time. But I think [his improvement is due to] just having a better feel of where he fits within each concept and what he has to do in the run game when it comes to blocking. I think he's done a lot better this training camp getting better in those areas. He's just a lot more detailed and has a better understanding of what's expected of him."
The Bears are hoping that Miller picks up where he left off late last season when he caught 33 passes for 431 yards and two touchdowns during a five-game span. The stretch included a pair of nine-catch performances with 140 yards in a win over the Lions and 118 yards and one touchdown versus the Packers.
Staying safe: The Bears will remain vigilant with their COVID-19 protocols when they take their first road trip of the season this weekend to Detroit.
"Just making sure that we understand the different aspects of travel, whether it's on the bus, whether it's on the plane or planes, it's the ability for us to make sure that we … [continue] staying as safe as we can possibly be," Nagy said.
"Everything that's been given to us from management to stay spaced out, to wear your masks; the little things that matter, we can't get relaxed on those issues. For us, travel-wise, whether that's staying here within our quote-unquote bubble to be able to have our dinners and food here, maybe we leave a little bit later, right, to be able to have less time at the hotel. We're just trying to do everything we can to prevent the risk of having any cases of COVID.
"So far, I think management and Ryan [Pace] have done a fabulous job with that, and we'll go ahead and explain that whole plan to our players so that they can feel good and they can feel safe and just kind of understand it's the way that we've been doing things here the whole time."
