The Bears are getting one veteran back on the practice field — though it’s not Roquan Smith.
Safety Dane Cruikshank, who was limited in the offseason program and began training camp on the Non-Football Injury list, was activated on Tuesday morning, hours before the team’s first padded practice at Halas Hall.
Cruikshank doesn’t figure to start — Eddie Jackson and rookie Jaquan Brisker will —but he could be an important special teams piece for the Bears. He played at least 200 snaps on kicking downs in all three of his healthy seasons with the Titans. In 2021, he played 62 percent of the team’s special teams plays.