The Chicago Bears saw one of their rookies go down with an unfortunate injury in practice on Tuesday. According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, wide receiver Dazz Newsome broke his collarbone, and will undergo surgery this Thursday. Pelissero reports that it was a clean break, so Newsome is looking at about an eight-week recovery period and should be ready for training camp.
Newsome was selected by the Bears with their second of three picks in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was considered a bit of a steal, since many mocks had him going around the fourth round. The North Carolina product caught 54 passes for 684 yards and six touchdowns in his senior season. Newsome turned heads in his junior campaign as a Second Team All-ACC player, however, as he caught 72 passes for 1,018 yards and a whopping 10 touchdowns. He also returned punts at UNC, and left Chapel Hill with an 11.1-yard return average.
The 22-year-old is listed at 5 foot 10, 190 pounds, and is known for his ability to create after the catch. He also proved valuable in instances where he acted as a gadget player -- running jet sweeps, bubble screens and also catching passes out of the backfield while being used in motion pre-snap. The Bears have Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, Damiere Byrd and Anthony Miller atop the depth chart at wide receiver, but Newsome could play a role for Matt Nagy in Year 1.
