Smith noncommittal about Holt coming to Bears

The most glaring off-season task remaining for the Bears is to upgrade the receiving corps that quarterback Jay Cutler will have to work with this season.

Some well-known names remain on the market, such as Torry Holt, who knew Smith in St. Louis, and Plaxico Burress, who comes with a horrible record of off-field issues.

"I do have a relationship with Torry Holt," Smith said. "He's a great player, great guy. He's available right now. Torry's in the (free agency) pool like a lot of other receivers. We evaluate everybody that's available, and Torry's one of them."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it was more than Burress got.

"Every player that's available, we look into, no more than that," Smith said. "There's nothing to report or anything like that."

With the draft approaching on the final weekend of April, Smith said that could be the avenue the Bears use to upgrade the receiving corps. A veteran, however, seems like a greater priority given the lack of NFL experience among the Bears' wideouts.

"Would we like to get another receiver?" Smith said. "Possibly. But as far as how we'll get it, free agency or the draft, we really don't know."

Smith spoke with a few reporters at the team's annual Ed Block Courage Award ceremony at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, where cornerback Charles Tillman was honored. The award is given to a player on each NFL team who best exhibits professionalism, strength and dedication.

During the Bears' 2008 training camp and preseason, Tillman was forced to confront a personal crisis when his infant daughter, Tiana, received a heart transplant for a life-threatening condition.

Tiana was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy, which causes the heart to weaken and enlarge, disabling the heart's pumping system. As a result, Tillman changed the focus of his foundation from education to improving the lives of critically and chronically ill children.