Alshon Jeffery at Chicago Bears minicamp after skipping OTAs

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Franchised wide receiver Alshon Jeffery ended his personal workouts in south Florida in time to show up Tuesday for the start of the Chicago Bears' mandatory minicamp.

There was plenty of work to do.

"I was just working on some soft-tissues issues," Jeffery said. "I was working out with my trainer and some other people I was seeing down there."

After a season when Jeffery played in only nine games due to injuries and missed all the voluntary offseason workouts, he expects to be at training camp on time.

What Jeffery said he can't do is guarantee he'll avoid injuries.

"I mean I did some things this offseason to prevent them, but overall with injuries this is the game of football," Jeffery said. "There is a 99 percent chance you are going to get hurt."

Quarterback Jay Cutler and Jeffery started working together, and the Bears had their 2015 first-round draft pick, Kevin White, on the same field with them for the first time since last spring. That was before White developed a shin problem requiring surgery and was forced to sit out his entire rookie season.

It was also well before Jeffery started suffering pulled hamstring and groin strains.

"They're still learning," Cutler said about his top two receivers.

The Bears are running the same offense they did under then-head coach Adam Gase last year, but new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains has added his own touches.

"Al has got a little catching up to do with some of the stuff that we're putting in and then Kevin, taking a year off, it's hard for anybody to not play football for a year," Cutler said. "He played at West Virginia, where our offense is a little bit different.

"So he's kind of got a year and a half of just straight catching up with what he has to do in a short amount of time."

Cutler said Jeffery's personality makes it easier to stay focused on the work ahead.

"Alshon is a quiet guy," Cutler said. "He keeps to himself. I don't say much to him out there because I know that he's hard on himself. He gives us everything he has when he can go.

"I just try to encourage him and make sure that he knows what he's going to do and he kind of does his thing."

Jeffery brushed off criticism of his decision to stay away from OTAs.

"Honestly, people are going to say what they're going to say about you regardless," he said. "Every day when you wake up in the morning people say something good or bad about you, so that's life."

Cutler also missed slot receiver Eddie Royal and fourth receiver Marquess Wilson for parts of last season. Wilson went down with a leg injury of unknown severity at the outset of Tuesday's first practice, so he's still not working with the full crew.

The Bears ranked 21st on offense last year when Cutler recorded a career-best passer rating of 92.3. He threw for 21 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.

"We've got to be better than last year and that's what we tell the guys," Cutler said. "Even though we are in Year 2 and we've got some new pieces out here, and Kevin and Alshon's been gone, that's not an excuse for us.

"We didn't turn this offense over. We have the same terminology. The same stuff. We've got to improve in the direction we want to go."

Jeffery is getting $14.6 million for this season as a franchise free agent unless a long-term deal is reached with general manager Ryan Pace. Make no mistake, Jeffery wants this to occur. At one time, reports circulated he didn't want to be in Chicago because of the cold, but he indicated this isn't the case.

"That's the goal," Jeffery said about a new deal. "But that's between Mr. Pace and my agent."

Head coach John Fox said there's no doubt Jeffery is starting out working from behind.

"Well I think a lot's changed," he said. "We have different players, some different coaches.

"I kind of hope they have changed. We were 6-10 and in last place, so, I'm hoping to change that, too."

Fox still tried to put a positive spin on Jeffery's return.

"I kind of look at the glass half full," he said. "It's good to have him here and he looks in good shape, he looks ready to roll and obviously we didn't take it to the limit the first day back, but I thought he looked good."

The Bears' offense has different receivers than it ended with last year, and also running back Matt Forte was allowed to leave in free agency. So Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey are the players taking the ball from Cutler. The offensive line doesn't have the same player starting at their opening-day position last year. And the second tight end spot is a question mark with Martellus Bennett now on the New England Patriots.

With most of the receivers back, Cutler has to turn his attention to the changing offense and also the new offensive coordinator. Although Loggains was quarterbacks coach last year and Cutler knew him before last season, there is a different dynamic working.

Loggains is much more likely to criticize Cutler and other offensive players than Gase was.

"There's definitely some honesty there," Cutler said. "He's not afraid to tell me when I'm completely wrong, and rightfully so. I like to tell him whenever I think we're not doing things right or we need to change things.

"I think at the core of that we kind of cut through some stuff and we get things done a little bit quicker."