Little quick on the trigger, weren't we Chicago Tribune? Two days ago, the Trib reported that Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Kevin White was officially ruled out for the rest of the 2015 NFL season. NFL.com was quick to jump on the news as well; however, these reports seem to be based upon nothing. With rumors swirling that this may be untrue, ESPN Chicago's Jeff Dickerson cleared the air with a piece that showed head coach John Fox has not yet decided yay or nay on the rookie's chances of playing this year, despite those reports.
Honestly, reading the Tribune's article was a bit perplexing. It was seemingly based on nothing. "Bears rookie Kevin White will not play this season, the Tribune has learned," read the first sentence. There's just one issue with that.
Nowhere in the article is there even one credible source provided from the Bears' organization saying that White was ruled out.
Not John Fox. Not GM Ryan Pace. Not even Kevin White.
"I think I have expressed we have until Tuesday. We just take it a day at a time," Fox said via ESPN. "There are always a lot of reports. Then there's facts."
The Bears have until Tuesday, December 15, to decide if they'll activate White to the 53-man roster or keep him on the PUP list, effectively ending his year.
With recent promising news springing up everywhere about how much White has progressed and how hard he's been working on and off the practice field to get back, it was disheartening to hear that he was shut down. But since finding out Fox and company have made no such decisions, hope is back for the first-round pick who so many are dying to see show his stuff, even if only for a few games.
It's important that White plays a bit this year. The team wants to see what he can do physically and if they can start getting some chemistry going now between he and quarterback Jay Cutler.
Cutler has had a career year this season, and that's without No. 1 or 2 receivers for at least half of 2015's games. Imagine what he could do with a receiving corps of a healthy Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal and White. That's a scary proposition for opposing secondaries.
Ultimately, still premature, the Tribune's report could come to fruition next week. That possibility is as equal as him being activated and playing, though. But just like everyone else, they just have to wait and see. Fox and Pace play things close to the vest, and odds are, we won't find out for sure until sometime Tuesday.
