Byron Pringle on track to return Week 1 vs. 49ers

The Chicago Bears’ biggest free-agent addition at wide receiver this offseason, former Kansas City Chief Byron Pringle, missed the entire preseason with a quadriceps injury and, as a result, has been somewhat out of sight, out of mind.

That’s about to change.

Pringle practiced Monday for the first time since early August.

“They’ve got me limited right now,” Pringle said via ESPN. “I’m just trying to feel everything out, trying to get my feet back up under myself.”

Pringle, who said he felt great after his return to the grass, suggested his extended absence was, in part, due to the Chicago Bears’ conservative and cautious approach.

“I’m a tough dude, so I know they didn’t want the setback,” he said. “I didn’t either because I wanted to go out in the preseason and show what I could do on the field. It was just one of the things I need to communicate to the team.”

Pringle joined the Bears on a one-year, $4.125 million deal in free agency. His time with the Chiefs was spent mostly as a reserve, but he flashed playmaking upside that made him an appealing and cost-effective target for general manager Ryan Poles.

Pringle had a career-high 42 catches for 568 yards and five touchdowns in 2021.

Assuming he gets a clean bill of health, Byron Pringle will join Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet as the primary targets for Justin Fields in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers.