Bears Notes: Wilson Coming Back A Morale 'Boost'
By Dan Durkin-
(CBS) After not participating in Wednesday's practice, Bears receiver Brandon Marshall (ankle) and tight end Martellus Bennett (ribs) returned to practice Thursday in a limited fashion.
Linebacker Darryl Sharpton (hamstring) was also a limited participant.
Those who didn't practice were cornerback Terrance Mitchell (illness), receiver Josh Morgan (shoulder), offensive lineman Eben Britton (illness), defensive lineman Trevor Scott (illness) and offensive lineman Jordan Mills (ribs).
"It's day to day," coach Marc Trestman said of Mills. "It's muscular around the rib. That's really where he's at, day to day."
Wilson nearing a return
While the Bears haven't made anything official, all signs point to receiver Marquess Wilson returning Sunday against the Vikings. He's been out since suffering a broken collarbone in training camp in early August.
"He's practicing, and we're going to continue to watch him," Trestman said. "It's good to see him back out there, running around and catching the football. We'll continue to monitor that tomorrow."
Quarterback Jay Cutler said Wilson has provided a boost to the offense this week in practice.
"I was talking to Cav (quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh) about it, you forget how good he is as such a young player," Cutler said. "We had him really going at training camp before he got hurt, so we were really excited about him. Guy gets hurt, goes on IR and you kind of forget about him a little bit because you have to move on. So getting him back is a little bit of a boost for us. Morale wise and in the huddle he has fun, so it's fun to have him back."
Kromer comments on Holmes being waived
Offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer was asked to explain why wide receiver Santonio Holmes didn't work out in Chicago, to which he replied Holmes filled the exact role the team looked for when they signed him. Holmes was waived earlier this week.
"We brought him in," Kromer said, "and we needed him as a punt returner and we needed him as a backup wide receiver, and we used him as that. No other intentions were thought prior to him getting here, and we got out of Santonio Holmes what we wanted to get out of Santonio Holmes. Marquess Wilson is back, and so we needed a roster spot. Santonio Holmes was an upstanding citizen here, he was a joy to be around, he was a model teammate. It's just we needed a roster spot for Marquess Wilson, and we felt like that was the person to do it with."
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.
