Cassie's Bears standout players vs. Miami | Chicago Bears Postgame
Ian Wheeler has seen the moment that shaped his last calendar year.
It was the gut-wrenching, emotional and heartbreaking moment after the Chicago Bears' preseason finale vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, where Wheeler found out he had torn his ACL. His mother's extended hug spoke emotion into a scene where neither uttered a word. Bears general manager Ryan Poles teared up talking about Wheeler's injury.
Not only was this moment captured on the final episode of "Hard Knocks," it was a moment that endeared him to Bears fans everywhere. He became the undrafted free agent who had his opportunity cut short due to rotten luck and the worst part of the game.
When that moment aired, Wheeler watched and felt a string of emotions that came with it.
"When the episode came out, we already knew what happened, obviously," Wheeler said after the Bears' preseason game vs. Miami. "It was uncomfortable. It was a really long moment – like, a really long moment. Got tagged on it on Instagram, that was cool. Got a couple followers off of that, but outside of that, it was something that was uncomfortable. But it was my reality, so I can't be upset about it."
It's been nearly a year since Wheeler tore that ACL. Now, he's back on the football field picking up where he left off.
He's fighting for a roster spot on a Bears' team with a new coaching staff in a running back room where the final spots could come down to the final days of the preseason.
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Some of the weirdest moments for Wheeler were some of the days he was at the airport.
He would be traveling somewhere and get recognized by those who watched "Hard Knocks." Wheeler was a speedster at Howard where he was known for his special teams success returning kickoffs. He scored three touchdowns on kick returns in college. In the NFL, Wheeler scored two touchdowns in a preseason game against the Bills in 2024, which helped his cause to make the final roster.
Instead, he was recognized for an injury that was going to sideline him for basically an entire year.
Soon, the attention shifted from "Hard Knocks" to the regular season. Then, Wheeler was left to recuperate and recover behind the scenes.
"A lot of the stuff that we do every day is happens in silence, so it's not too much different," Wheeler said. "Just like same way with practice. You guys don't see all of that. Even if I'm like in the training room or in the meeting rooms, just knowing that this would get me to the position where I'm now to be able to compete for a roster spot again."
Wheeler said he had no major setbacks with his recovery. He did specifics like blood flow restriction exercises. There were plenty of single-leg workouts. All of this was to recover his ACL and be back at Halas Hall with a chance to earn a spot to play in the NFL again.
The hardest part was the mental aspect of recovery, especially considering how long of a recovery process it was.
Once the recovery process was over, he had to prepare himself for the physicality football brings.
"It is just a long process, just what is it," Wheeler said. "It's just honestly a mental grind more than anything."
What's next:
Against the Dolphins last Sunday, Wheeler got extended time in the fourth quarter. He carried the ball seven times for 20 yards, and had a 14 yard reception.
He also took his first live-action hit for the first team in nearly a year.
"The first one I was like, ‘ooh,’ But then I got up and I was like, 'okay, we're good,'" Wheeler said. "We can play."
With a handful of weeks left in the preseason, there are plenty of chances for Wheeler to make an impression on this new coaching staff. So far, he's been making the right impressions.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson mentioned Wheeler in the same group as starting running back D'Andre Swift and goal-line back Roschon Johnson as running backs who were seeing open running lanes well and using their power to gain yards.
"They were putting their shoulders down and they were running through contact," Johnson said after the Bears' Family Fest practice on August 3. "I thought those guys were trying to play a physical brand of football all around."
The Bears' running back room consists of Swift, Johnson, rookie Kyle Monangai, veteran Travis Homer and undrafted free agent Deion Hankins. Wheeler will have chances to earn that roster spot with two more preseason games and three more weeks of practices.
First for Wheeler, though, was getting over his torn ACL. Sunday served as an official step forward for the running back.
All that is behind him. The opportunities to make the NFL are what remain in front of him now.
"Practice is the same as a game," Wheeler said. "But it felt good to really go out there and get hit and make contact and play ball."
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