Coach Matt Nagy back with Chicago Bears after clearing COVID-19 protocols

Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy has cleared the NFL's COVID-19 protocols, making the announcement during an in-person news conference Thursday at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Nagy told reporters that he was cleared on Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 25 and quarantining for eight days.

Nagy missed the Bears' 33-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday as special teams coordinator Chris Tabor took over his duties for that game.

"I was cleared on Tuesday, so I was back in the office Tuesday morning. I was able to get back in here and get back to some quote-unquote normalcy. It was awesome seeing all the coaches and really just kind of getting back on track," Nagy said Thursday, according to the team's website.

Nagy said that he quarantined in a hotel room, where he also watched Sunday's game.

"Watching the game was hard. You don't like it. You just sit there and you watch it and you try to figure out what the play call is and understand, 'OK, oh yeah, it was this play call, good play call,' or it was that. It's just different. It was hard," he said, according to the team's website.

Nagy said he didn't eat or drink during the game and "was more nervous than normal."

Nagy also announced that the Bears were designating running back David Montgomery to return from injured reserve, starting the 21-day practice window for the Bears to decide whether to activate him. He has been sidelined since early October with a sprained left knee.

The Bears held a walk-through practice on Thursday to prepare for their Week 9 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on Monday night.