Hoge's Notes: Tillman, Bennett 'Questionable' But Expected To Play
By Adam Hoge-
HALAS HALL (CBS) -- The banged up Bears should have everyone at their disposal Sunday against the Redskins at FedEx Field.
Cornerback Charles Tillman (knee) and tight end Martellus Bennett (knee) are officially listed as "questionable" on the Bears' injury report, but head coach Marc Trestman has said all week that Tillman is expected to play. Friday, he said Bennett "did everything" in practice, even though a team spokesperson said the tight end was limited.
Meanwhile, defensive tackle Stephen Paea (turf toe) is listed as "probable" for Sunday's game, which will give a boost to a depleted defensive line. Linebacker James Anderson (back), safety Major Wright (knee) and safety Anthony Walters (hamstring) are all listed as probable. Wright was the player listed as "probable" that was limited in practice Friday.
Franklin Promoted
Instead of bringing in outside help to replace injured linebacker D.J. Williams (lost for the season with a ruptured pec), the Bears will promote practice squad linebacker Jerry Franklin to the active roster.
"We've seen him since the OTAs. He's a young guy, he's been working, he's active and he'll get some playing time certainly on special teams," Trestman said.
Franklin played in three games for the Bears last season after signing with the team in December. He recorded two special teams tackles and stuck with the team throughout the offseason.
Franklin is expected to receive Jon Bostic's special teams reps as Bostic takes over as the starting Mike linebacker.
Test Before The Bye
Trestman's mentality is that every game is important because it's the next one, but he did concede Friday that Sunday's game against the Redskins is a good test before the bye week.
"I think this is going to be very good for us to find out a little more about ourselves," the head coach said. "Each and every week we do, but it will kind of set a line for us on where we are as a football team to some degree. It's not all encompassing, certainly. We still have to play the next game two weeks later, but I think coming out of the bye, it will give us an opportunity to really evaluate our football team from inside-out in terms of our personnel and things we are doing schematically."
Adam Hoge covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.
