After all he has been through, Bears WR Rodney Adams is happy to have another chance

LAKE FOREST – The love and support from the Chicago community and beyond has been a lot to take in for Bears receiver Rodney Adams.

The 26-year-old receiver had a baby girl over the weekend, then scored an electric 73-yard touchdown in Saturday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. He celebrated by rocking the ball like a baby.

[ After welcoming baby girl into the world, Rodney Adams scores 73-yard touchdown ]

Adams said his wife Madison and baby Brexleigh continue to do well. Adams eagerly awaited Brexleigh’s weight check at the doctor on Wednesday. He called it the most important stat of the day.

“It’s really cool just to see how much the city of Chicago, the Bears organization, the Bears fans show love to a family that they barely even know,” Adams said. “And it’s amazing. Coming here every day, the whole staff, the cooks, ‘How is everyone doing? How’s the family doing?’ It is amazing. I love it. And you can’t take it for granted because one day it’s all going to be over.”

It has been a long journey for Adams. He retired from football in April 2018 after two seasons in the NFL with Minnesota and Indianapolis. Adams had a lot on his plate ever since his mother died in a car accident in 2013. Then a freshman football player at Toledo, Adams became the legal guardian of his younger brother at the time. He transferred to South Florida to be closer to home.

He blossomed into a fifth-round draft pick in 2017, but appeared in only one NFL game before retiring. He sat out the entire 2018 and 2019 seasons before returning to the game with the Colts in January 2020. The Colts cut him during training camp last year and the Bears picked him up on Aug. 20, 2020, and eventually signed him to the practice squad.

“I was in the fire, full pads, going against top-notch athletes in practice,” Adams said. “It wasn’t easy. I can tell you that, it wasn’t easy.”

Adams spent all of last year on the Bears’ practice squad. Now he’s fighting for a roster spot and has been the Bears’ top receiver in both preseason games. His 73-yard touchdown was the highlight of the preseason so far, outside of maybe rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ first reps.

“He’s a really humble kid,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said of Adams. “He’s very appreciative of this opportunity. I think [wide receiver coach Mike] Furrey’s done a great job of developing him and giving him opportunities. To Rodney’s credit, he’s taken advantage of it and he’s had now back-to-back games, two phenomenal catches.”

It’s going to be tough to make the 53-man roster in a crowded wide receiver room. Adams is currently listed as a third-stringer on the team’s depth chart. Even if he doesn’t make the team, though, he seems like a likely candidate for a spot on the practice squad.

Practice update: The Bears changed their practice plans making Wednesday a walk-through with no pads. The plan is to have a fully padded practice Thursday. Nagy said the team wanted to give everyone an extra day to rest up before going hard on Thursday.

The Bears practiced for about an hour with no pads or helmets. Wednesday’s practice was the final practice that was open to the general public during training camp.

“We’ve got to have a pulse of where we’re at, we’ve got to be smart with where our team is at right now,” Nagy said. “That’s the best thing for us to do, so we’re flipping these two days. So [Thursday] will be more ramped up than what today – today is more mental.”

Injury report: The Bears on Tuesday placed defensive back Jordan Lucas and defensive lineman Mike Pennel on injured reserve. Defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga was held out of practice Wednesday with an ankle injury. Defensive tackle Bilal Nichols (toe) remains out.

Defensive lineman Angelo Blackson, tight end Scooter Harrington, tight end Jesper Horsted, tight end Cole Kmet and long snapper Patrick Scales all returned to practice after missing time in recent days.

Cornerback Desmond Trufant has been absent for more than a week now due to a personal reason.