BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Marcus Harrison was being interviewed by reporters after participating in his first training camp practice Tuesday when Anthony Adams grabbed his teammate and screamed: “Welcome back Marcus!”

Marcus Harrison participates in individual drills in Tuesday's training camp practice.

For Harrison, it was great to be back. The 2008 third-round draft pick from Arkansas had spent the first four days of camp on the non-football injury list after reporting to Olivet Nazarene University considerably heavier than his listed playing weight of 312 pounds.

After working diligently to get back into shape, Harrison passed his physical and was removed from the NFI list Tuesday. He later took part in individual drills during practice on a warm and muggy day.

“It felt real good to be out there with the guys,” Harrison said. “It was quite odd that today was the hottest day of camp. But it felt real good.

“It was hard coming out here watching my teammates as they went through the grind, but now it’s time for me to get back in it.”

Lovie Smith didn’t greet Harrison with a bear hug like the playful Adams did, but the Bears coach was just as happy to have the second-year pro back on the practice field.

“I think he learned his lesson the first day the team was able to practice and he wasn’t out there,” Smith said. “What he learned is that life goes on without you. He wants to be a part of this, [and] we believe in forgiveness. He’s one of the guys now and we’ll go from there.”

Harrison appeared in all 16 games last year as a rookie, registering 25 tackles and two sacks. He recorded his first career sack in the season opener when he dropped the Colts’ Peyton Manning.

A year later, Harrison is expected to compete for the starting nose tackle position. Adams has been working at that spot with the No. 1 defense ahead of fourth-year pro Dusty Dvoracek.

Asked whether he was worried about falling behind while Adams and Dvoracek took all the reps the first few days of practice, Harrison said: “No, I actually felt bad because those guys were out there breaking their necks just trying to keep everything moving, so now it’s my turn to get in there and help.”

Harrison’s weight ballooned after he returned home following OTA workouts. He told reporters that his mother was diagnosed with cancer in early July and underwent a hysterectomy. The 25-year-old also said that he was dealing with other issues he didn’t want to discuss. 

Going through the ordeal with his weight taught Harrison that "you just have to understand that this is a business. Even though you have problems and stuff off the field, when it's time to come to work you've got to come to work."

Asked what Smith expects from him, the young defensive tackle said: “Lovie just wants maturity from me, just to put whatever happened in the past behind me and just move on and grow up.”

That process no doubt will be aided by the support Harrison receives from his veteran teammates.

“He’s definitely going to help the team, and I’m excited to have him back,” Adams said. 

“Just coming in and being overweight and not being out here with his teammates and watching film of other guys instead of yourself, it’s a tough pill to swallow. But I think he’s learned his lesson. He sees where the coaching staff is coming from and I think he’s just going to use it as a stepping stone and continue to grow.”