Bear Essentials

In their press release for Sunday night’s nationally televised season opener at Green Bay against the Packers, the Bears list their starting cornerbacks as Trumaine McBride and Nate Vasher on the “unofficial depth chart.”

Good thing it’s “unofficial,” because if the Bears are forced to line up with McBride and Vasher covering Greg Jennings and Donald Driver all night they’ll lose by 4 touchdowns.

It’s too much to expect Charles Tillman to play in this game since he practiced on Monday for the first time this season. But Zack Bowman claims to be 100 percent recovered from the hamstring injury that sidelined him for three weeks during training camp and in the preseason.

Offensive tackle James Marten was signed to the practice squad Monday afternoon, bringing the Bears to the NFL limit of eight.

The 6-foot-8, 310-pound Marten was a third-round selection (67th overall) of the Cowboys in 2007. He was on the Cowboys 53-man roster in 2007 but was inactive for all 16 games and the postseason. He was claimed off waivers by the Raiders before Week 2 last season and made his NFL debut Sept. 21 but was inactive for the final 14 contests.

The Bears kept just eight offensive linemen on their final 53-man roster, but they now have Marten, first-year center Donovan Raiola and undrafted rookie guard Johan Asiata on the practice squad.

There were no real surprises among the seven players, including quarterback Brett Basanez, signed to the practice squad Sunday, with the possible exception of guard Johan Asiata, an undrafted rookie from UNLV.

The more logical pick would have been offensive tackle Cody Balogh, who spent all of 2008 on the practice squad. But the Bears have one spot remaining, so he’s still a possibility.

The other six who already have a spot, making a minimum of $5,200 a week, are defensive end Ervin Baldwin, a seventh-round pick in 2008 who had 2 sacks in the preseason finale last Thursday; Basanez, defensive end Joe Clermond, who spent the final month of the ’08 season on the Bears’ practice squad; center Donovan Raiola, fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou and cornerback Woodny Turenne.

Nothing against injured backup running back Kevin Jones, but the Bears’ offense could actually be more explosive without him.

Had he stayed healthy, Jones could have certainly eased the wear and tear this year on Matt Forte by filling the short-yardage role and pounding the ball between the tackles. But it’s not as if Forte doesn’t have the toughness and the size (6-foot-2, 218 pounds) to hit it up in there, as they say. And Jones hasn’t averaged more than 3.8 yards per carry in any of the past four seasons.

We’re up to 18 players who have been informed by the Bears that they will be cut, although the club will not confirm any of the moves and won’t make an official statement until sometime around the 5 p.m. (Chicago time) Saturday deadline when NFL rosters must be at 53.

The most recent additions to the list are cornerbacks Woodny Turenne, Rudy Burgess and Marcus Hamilton, safety Dahna Deleston, fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou and offensive linemen Cody Balogh and Johan Asiata.

Earlier 11 players were identified, including wide receiver Brandon Rideau, who had an 18-yard TD catch in the preseason finale Thursday night and finished the preseason with 4 catches for 43 yards.

Here’s how I think the Bears' final 53-man roster will look when the cutting is completed on Saturday:

QUARTERBACKS – (2) Jay Cutler, Caleb Hanie.
Skinny: Brett Basanez is still eligible for the practice squad.

RUNNING BACKS – (4) Matt Forte, Kevin Jones, Adrian Peterson, Garrett Wolfe.
Skinny: Peterson and Wolfe are too valuable on special teams to let go.

FULLBACKS – (1) Jason McKie.

WIDE RECEIVERS -- (6) Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Devin Aromashodu, Rashied Davis, Juaquin Iglesias, Johnny Knox.
Skinny: Brandon Rideau could lose out in a tough numbers’ game. Rookies Iglesias and Knox may not be ready to contribute much right now, but they’ll get at least a year to mature.

TIGHT ENDS – (3) Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark, Kellen Davis.

CB Charles Tillman (back, physically-unable-to-perform list), DE Henry Melton (ankle), Israel Idonije (hamstring) and TE Kellen Davis will not play tonight.

For the fourth straight game, SS Kevin Payne will move to FS in place of Danieal Manning, who is dressed for the first time this preseason but will not start. Rookie Al Afalava will start at SS for the fourth straight game. Cornerback Zack Bowman is also expected to play for the first time.

Although the Bears hate to cut their draft picks, fourth-rounder Melton really hasn’t done anything to distinguish himself so far, although his 20-yard kickoff return as the deep man in the preseason opener was a novelty for a 6-foot-3, 260-pound lineman.

The Bears, who have played short-handed at cornerback throughout the preseason, are expected to sign Rod Hood Tuesday to bolster a position that has been thinned by the absence of Charles Tillman (back) and Zack Bowman (hamstring).

Hood, 27, started 30 games the past two seasons for the Arizona Cardinals but was cut to save money under the salary cap and signed with the Browns in the off-season after visiting with the Bears in May. He was cut by the Browns Monday.

It wasn't all good news for the 2-1 Bears in Sunday night's victory over the winless Broncos.

The first-team defense held the Broncos’ starters to just 3 first-half points. But Denver’s 61-yard TD drive in the third quarter, with most of the Bears’ starters still on the field, didn’t sit too well with Lovie Smith.

It probably had something to do with the fact that the drive was led by rookie QB Tom Brandstater, a sixth-round draft pick from Fresno State. Brandstater came on in relief after starter Kyle Orton suffered an injury to his right index finger and because No. 2 QB Chris Simms was sitting out with a sprained ankle.

Starting safety Danieal Manning (hamstring), starting cornerback Charles Tillman (back) and cornerback Zack Bowman (hamstring), a potential starter, have yet to play in a preseason game, after sitting out Sunday night.

In addition, linebackers Nick Roach (concussion) and Jamar Williams (foot) also did not dress, nor did defensive end Henry Melton (ankle) or nose tackle Dusty Dvoracek, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee in the second preseason game.