Eight years into his NFL career, Chicago Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks finds himself dealing with something unfamiliar: A serious injury that has held him out for a significant period of time.
Hicks suffered a dislocated elbow against the Oakland Raiders back in Week 5, and he was placed on injured reserve shortly after. He’s missed seven games this season after having missed no games with the Bears prior to this season.
But Hicks practiced for the second straight day as he’s coming off injured reserve and aiming to return next week against the Green Bay Packers.
“I won’t lie; it was super tough,” Hicks said, via ChicagoBears.com. “You know you play this sport and you know that it’s violent and rough and they say there’s a 100 percent injury rate.
“I always felt I was above that. I never really had to really experience some of the things that teammates of mine have experienced or opponents of mine have experienced. Yeah, it was hard on me. But everything that has a beginning has an end, right? Being here in this place right now and being able to practice with my teammates, there’s nothing better.”
While Hicks has been permitted to practice, he isn’t eligible to return to game action until Week 15 against the Packers, where he fully intends to play, regardless of the result of Thursday night’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
“If I can get my body to a place where I feel like I can compete at a high level, there’s nothing that would stop me from being on the field with my boys,” Hicks said.
While there is no live tackling in practice, Hicks isn’t concerned about whether his elbow can take a hit.
“We’re testing it right now,” he said. “We’re making sure that it can do the moves that I’m accustomed to doing and we’re giving it our best shot. We’re going to try to be out there as soon as possible and play some good football.”
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