Fox: Shoulder injury not season-ending for Bears QB Cutler
According to Bears coach John Fox, quarterback Jay Cutler's injured right shoulder is not season-ending, as many speculated.
While Cutler has not been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field, it's almost certain that four-year veteran Matt Barkley will get his first NFL start.
"It's not season-ending, contrary to the reports you hear, much like the Kyle Long reports you heard before," Fox said, referencing a similar injury that the Bears' Pro Bowl guard suffered in preseason and played through. "But he (Cutler) did not participate (in practice Wednesday) and it is a shoulder injury."
Cutler's injury is believed to be a labrum tear, which is the cartilage that cushions and stabilizes the area where the upper arm rests in the shoulder socket. Fox did not speculate on a time frame for Cutler's return.
"In my experience with Jay, he's a tough son of a gun, so he doesn't go typical of the lengths people put into it as far as weeks and whatnot," Fox said. "So, right now, he is day to day."
Fox was evasive when asked if the injury was a labrum tear.
"There are different levels of injury," Fox said. "'Tear' is kind of a broad term. It's sore. But there are a lot of things in the shoulder that can affect the quarterback. Some of them can be just chronic, old, just wear and tear, like pitchers, or quarterbacks in the National Football League."
Cutler is believed to have been injured on the second play in Sunday's 22-16 loss to the New York Giants, when he was hit late and driven into the ground by Olivier Vernon, who was penalized for roughing the quarterback.
Cutler was also sacked four times in the fourth quarter but played every snap. Fox said he was unsure of when the injury occurred, and Cutler is not scheduled to talk to the media until Thursday.
"He finished the game," Fox said. "Everybody saw that. That's encouraging."
It's possible that, depending on the severity of the tear, Cutler's surgery could be postponed until after the season, or he could avoid it completely. In the short term, instead of surgery, Cutler could continue to play after some down time with anti-inflammatory medication, as well as rest and rehabilitation exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles surrounding the joint.
"That's just what the future brings, just like all injuries," Fox said about the possibility of surgery. "Going back to Kyle Long, he was able to play with it. Supposedly he was going to miss the season; (that) didn't come to fruition. But it'll be something (Cutler) has evaluated moving forward in the off-season."
Long went on injured reserve last week with an ankle injury that will require surgery next week, and he is expected to have surgery on his shoulder after that.
Cutler has already missed five games this season after he suffered a sprained right thumb in Week Two.
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