First-round draft pick Kevin White will have to wait until 2016 to make his NFL debut after the Bears declined to activate him before Tuesday's 3 p.m. deadline.
The seventh overall pick in the draft will remain on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list the final three weeks of the season, making him ineligible to play in games or participate in practice.
Kevin White will remain on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list the final three weeks of the season.
While sustained a stress fracture in his shin during OTA workouts in June. He later suffered a setback while doing some light running in training camp in August and underwent surgery.
White has been on the PUP list since the summer. The Bears opened a three-week practice window Nov. 24, giving them until Tuesday to decide whether to activate him. He practiced with his teammates the last two weeks, but won't play in his first game until next season.
From the time White was injured, general manager Ryan Pace has been most concerned with the big picture and vowed not to rush the young receiver back onto the field.
"I want to state that our whole focus right now is his long-term health," Pace said Aug. 15 while announcing that White would undergo surgery and be out indefinitely. "I know he's going to be a great player for the Chicago Bears.
"He's disappointed. He's dying to get out there. I'm focused on his long-term health right now. I can think back to a lot of rookies as you look at the history of the NFL that have had some setbacks and I know this is going to be a blip on the radar as he has a long, successful career."
White was drafted by the Bears after he blossomed as a senior last year at West Virginia, catching 109 passes for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 6-3, 217-pounder opened the 2014 season with a school-record seven straight 100-yard games and set another West Virginia mark for most receptions in a game with 16 against Texas.
Roster move: The Bears on Tuesday also signed defensive lineman Toby Johnson and receiver/tight end Marcus Lucas to their practice squad.
Johnson entered the NFL this season as an undrafted free agent with the Titans. The 6-3, 312-pounder also spent time with the Jaguars.
Lucas signed with the Panthers in 2014 as an undrafted free agent from Missouri. The 6-4, 235-pounder spent all of last season on Carolina's practice squad and also has spent time with the Dolphins.
