BOURBONNAIS — Danieal Manning empathized with teammate Chris Harris as Manning watched his teammate slowly leave the practice field Saturday morning with a back strain.
During the early stages of last year’s training camp, Manning observed from the sideline while nursing a sore hamstring. Harris was the one out Saturday night — the Bears’ first practice in full pads — after tweaking his back during the abbreviated early session.
“We’re trying to put our best product on the field, get as many reps as we can so we can get ready for the first game,” Manning said. “You don’t want injuries to happen to anybody.”
Coach Lovie Smith said after Saturday night’s practice that none of the early camp injuries was serious, but seeing a starter hobbled on Day 2 of camp is never a good sign. And it only makes matters worse to see a key member of secondary go down, with all the question marks surrounding the group this season.
The Bears entered training camp with concerns about the health of the defensive backs. Rising star Zack Bowman played in all 16 games last season but the cornerback endured numerous knee issues in the past and battled abdominal pains throughout last season. Harris banged up his shoulder during offseason workouts and sprained his ankle near the end of organized team activities, although he said neither injury still plagued him.
Veteran cornerback Charles Tillman, who switched spots with Bowman and now plays on the right side, has dealt with numerous shoulder injuries as saw his 2009 season ended with a collapsed lung and cracked ribs.
“You have to go on history a little bit and, yeah, Charles has been injured,” Lovie Smith said. “We want him to be able to play all the time, but that hasn’t happened. Hopefully it will this year.”
The depth behind Bowman and Tillman took a hit as well with newcomer Tim Jennings injuring his right knee during Friday’s practice. Jennings, who sat out both sessions Saturday, said the medical staff would determine if he needed more extensive tests on the knee.
At least the early setbacks suffered by Harris and Jennings allowed more opportunities for others. The coaches can get more reps to rookies Major Wright and Josh Moore at safety and corner, respectively.
Safety Craig Steltz stepped in with the first team alongside Manning during 7-on-7 Saturday night. Then Josh Bullocks was with the starters during full-team drills. By the end of practice, Bullocks and Steltz were on the field together with the first team.
“We’re all comfortable out there with each other,” Steltz said, speaking of the safeties. “We work on communicating with each other. So when we get out there and something like an injury happens, you don’t miss a step.”
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