Bears' Trevathan back at practice, unclear when he'll be game ready

Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan is back at practice but limited and is wearing a protective cast on his surgical right thumb, which suffered ligament damage in the Week 2 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It remains to be seen how effective he can be in a game using the same device.

"I don't know the answer to that, other than my experience has been that it hasn't been good," defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said.

"But the protection that he had on wasn't as bulky as I thought it was going to be, so I think he's got a chance."

Trevathan had 15 tackles and a sack in the two games before he was injured. The biggest factor will be his ability to grab with his right hand.

"I've had DBs in the past that tried to play with a big thing on their hand, and it wasn't a pretty sight," Fangio said. "I think a linebacker one time, too. It's a hard enough game to play anyway, but when you can't use one hand or are limited, it can have a negative effect."

Coach John Fox said Trevathan looked "good" in Thursday's practice.

Another slow starter:

Coach John Fox said he believes injured wide receiver Kevin White can take encouragement from another highly regarded first-round wide receiver who overcame injuries.

Demaryius Thomas didn't accomplish much in his first two years with the Denver Broncos but has gone on to become a three-time Pro Bowl player.

"(Thomas) had setbacks, and he was injured coming out of college," said Fox, who was the Broncos head coach from 2011-14. "He had an Achilles injury after that and a finger injury after that, and he had two surgeries in his first year-and-a-half of NFL football. He's turned out pretty good."

The 22nd overall pick in 2010, Thomas had just 54 receptions for 834 yards in his first two seasons. But in the past four seasons he has averaged 100.5 catches, 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Injury update:

In addition to quarterback Jay Cutler (thumb), four other players did not practice Thursday: wide receiver Eddie Royal (calf), running back Jeremy Langford (ankle), nose tackle Eddie Goldman (ankle) and linebacker Leonard Floyd (calf).

Ten players were limited: wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (knee), guard Josh Sitton (shoulder), tight end Zach Miller (ribs), linebackers Danny Trevathan (thumb), Willie Young (knee, elbow) and Nick Kwiatkoski (elbow) and cornerbacks Tracy Porter (knee) and Sherrick McManis (hamstring), running back Ka'Deem Carey (hamstring) and defensive end Jonathan Bullard (toe).

• Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere.