Bears rookie S Wright expected back vs. Bills
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- An already solid
Chicago Bears secondary is about to get even stronger with the return of rookie safety
Major Wright.
Sidelined since Week 2 because of a severe hamstring pull, Wright is expected to jump back into the safety rotation with
Chris Harris and
Danieal Manning when the Bears face the
Buffalo Bills on Sunday in Toronto.
"It's been a little while," Wright said Monday. "I'm out here just trying to stay focused. I think I'll be ready, and I feel like I've watched enough film, and took a lot of mental reps, so now it's time to just put myself in that position."
Before the hamstring injury, Wright began his rookie campaign by rotating series with Harris, who despite being in direct competition with Wright, served as a mentor to the third-round draft choice out of Florida.
"When I first got here, [Harris] took me under his wing and guided me," Wright said. "Anything I needed help with, anything I needed on and off the field [he helped me]. On the field, we'll stay out there [late] a little bit and watch film and help me out with what I'm supposed to be reading, and go over the plays.
"He's a team player; he's not selfish. He helps anybody, and he knows the defense inside and out. He's just trying to help me to get better."
Considered a weakness in the preseason, the safety position has been stabilized by the steady play of Manning and Harris, and inserting Wright back into the mix is not viewed as an indictment of the two veterans. Instead it speaks to the faith the organization has in Wright, who despite suffering three separate injuries since being drafted in April, has sold the coaching staff on his abilities during the offseason.
"Every time you add a good football player it helps in a lot of ways," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "Major did some good things in the preseason. That open-field tackle he made against San Diego [in the preseason] was as good as you'll see.
"We were just getting him into the flow of things when he went down with an injury. But it seems like he's picking up right where he left off, which is good for our team."
