Bears' Tillman to miss bulk of preseason

According to Internet sources, cornerback Charles Tillman will not be on the field when the Bears start training-camp practices Friday afternoon at Olivet Nazarene University following recent arthroscopic back surgery.

Tillman is expected to miss much of the preseason but could see some limited playing time before the regular-season opener Sept. 13 against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Tillman's absence leaves the Bears in a precarious position going into a season in which they have championship aspirations because of the addition of Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler.

If Tillman isn't ready to face the Packers, the Bears' only experienced cornerback would be Nate Vasher, who has missed 23 of 32 starts the past two seasons because of injuries and hasn't been nearly as productive as he was in his Pro Bowl season of 2005.

Third-year player Corey Graham could be switched back to cornerback from safety for the start of camp. Graham started nine games at cornerback last season but made the transition to safety in the off-season.

Second-year player Zackary Bowman also might step into Tillman's starting position after enjoying an exceptional off-season.

"Zack Bowman has made a play it seems like just about every day we have been out here," Bears coach Lovie Smith said at the end of OTA practices in mid-June.

Trumaine McBride, who started one game last season and nine times as a rookie in 2007, should see more playing time in the preseason, along with fourth-round draft pick D.J. Moore.

After missing the final two games of the 2006 season with a herniated disc in his back, Tillman had surgery in February 2007 and returned to start 15 games that season.

Tillman also missed a good portion of training camp last year while his infant daughter awaited a successful heart transplant, but he again started 15 games and led the team with 16 pass breakups and was tied for second with 3 interceptions.

Tillman has been a starter for the Bears since early in his rookie season of 2003, when he was a second-round pick out of Louisiana-Lafayette. He leads all current Bears with 20 career interceptions and is the most physical of all their cornerbacks in run support.