Chicago Bears Rumors: Will Rookie WR Kevin White Return to Practice This Week?

Surprisingly, the Chicago Bears are 4-5 and on a two-game win streak, something many didn't foresee for them at this point of the season. Lost in the mix of success is first-round pick Kevin White. The rookie has been out since the start of training camp after surgery to fix a fractured shin, and if he is to come back in 2015, the deadline is coming up. With that said, will the rookie be cleared to return to practice this week?

Not much information has been provided to this point on White.

"I'm kind of vague, not optimistic, not pessimistic, just one day at a time," head coach John Fox said via CSN Chicago. "I know he's made good progress and we'll just cross that bridge when we get to it."

Fox said that about a month ago after White was seen at practice doing some "light running." The big question is, what does that mean today? Fox is still not ready to make that determination.

Make no mistake, though, he will have to provide that update soon. The deadline for White to be activated from the IR Designated to Return list is this week, as Bears beat writer for the Chicago Sun-Times Adam Jahns confirmed on Twitter.

The tough part is gauging whether he is actually ready and able to return now. Generally, for your everyday average Joe, it takes about 4-6 months to recover fully from surgery for a fractured shin. An elite athlete like White with the best care and rehab available will obviously be on a different timetable, but he also has different risks. So determining exactly when he's "ready" for live, physical NFL action is an entirely different prospect.

Perhaps the best way to look at this is the position that the Bears are in currently. If they were 2-7 or something like that, there'd be no way he would be brought back. There would be no point, especially if there was any uncertainty regarding his health. But with the Bears at 4-5 and gaining momentum, winning four of their last six, adding a potentially game-breaking wideout like White could actually boost them into wild-card contention.

The Bears are tied with five other teams for the seventh spot in the NFC, and are only two games behind the 6-3 Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons for one of the final two wild-card spots -- both of which are on losing streaks and struggling mightily at the moment.

Although the Bears weren't supposed to be here according to the masses (though I did predict them to be better than advertised and finish 8-8), they are here. The defense has improved immensely under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, and Jay Cutler has become a consistently great quarterback this season. Giving one of the 53-man roster spots to White makes sense. Even if he isn't able to come back right away, or even at all, leaving that door open would be a good thing.

After all, what do they have to lose? They were expected to be a five- or six-win team, and now have a legitimate chance to have a winning season.