Rookie defensive end Alex Brown is playing himself into the role the Bears hoped he’d fill when they drafted him in the fourth round this year.
Brown was at right end and linebacker Rosevelt Colvin at left in the Bears’ No. 1 nickel rush line at the start of the Bears’ 24-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday night.
Brown collected two sacks last week against the St. Louis Rams and has virtually clinched a roster spot in his battle with 2001 fourth-round pick Karon Riley.
Todd McMillon has emerged as the No. 3 cornerback, with rookie Roosevelt Williams coming back from a leg injury in camp to play Friday for the first time this exhibition season.
Williams yielded a 32-yard touchdown pass to Henry Douglas from quarterback David Garrard in the fourth quarter.
“It was a good learning experience,” said Williams, a third-round draft pick this year. “I felt very, very rusty but feel like I got some of the rust off. It should be a whole lot better next week.”
It was an injury-filled night for the Bears’ receiver group. Marty Booker left the game in the first quarter with a bruised chest and did not return. Receiver/returner Nate Jacquet sprained his ankle on a first-quarter punt return and was out for the rest of the game.
Colvin strained his left shoulder attempting a sack of Mark Brunell in the first half. All players will be evaluated to determine their availability for Thursday’s final exhibition game in Miami.
Rookie running back Adrian Peterson got his first look as a punt returner in the first quarter, and with Jacquet out and Leon Johnson not returning kicks this week, he and fellow rookie Eric McCoo returned kickoffs.
Tough call: Kicker Jon Hilbert’s play Friday was restricted to warm-ups after coaches in effect named Paul Edinger as the only Bears kicker this year. The Jaguars were among several teams scouting Hilbert, who was disappointed at having only two exhibition games to audition for the Bears and the rest of the league.
“Coach [Dick] Jauron just really likes Paul,” Hilbert said. “And Paul did a good job this preseason. We’ll see what plays out from here.”
Hilbert was the first teammate to meet Edinger with a high-five after Edinger converted a 50-yarder in the fourth quarter.
Edinger believes Hilbert will catch on with some team. “I’ll be kicking against Jon this year,” Edinger said. “He deserves to be kicking in this league.”
Almost third: Jauron said that he was very high on Garrard coming out of East Carolina this year. The Jaguars drafted him in the fourth round, and he showed why he would have been a nice fit in the Bears’ QB stable.
Garrard completed 9-of-18 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, compared with a combined 4-for-10 for 35 yards and no touchdowns for Bears backups Henry Burris and Ken Mastrole.
“I wish [the third-quarterback situation] would become really clear,” Jauron said. “They’re both so young and inexperienced. They both do some good things, and they both do some things that make you want to pull your hair out.”
