Bears can overcome loss of running back Jones

The season-ending ankle injury to backup running back Kevin Jones leaves the Bears lacking some depth, but it doesn't create an emergency situation.

Featured ballcarrier Matt Forte was a workhorse last season, rushing for 1,238 yards on 316 carries and catching a team-best 63 passes. While the Bears planned to expand Jones' role this year after he carried just 34 times and caught 2 passes last year, there has never been any doubt about who the alpha male is in their backfield. And they still have two complementary backups in reliable, versatile eight-year veteran Adrian Peterson and third-year scatback Garrett Wolfe. They might add another runner to the mix, probably one effective in short-yardage situations, but they don't have to panic.

Jones, who is scheduled to undergo surgery early next week, was hurt when he hurdled a tackler and went out of bounds Thursday night. He landed awkwardly on his left foot and then was hit late by linebacker Marcus Benard.

"We were anxious to give him a lot of carries and see where he was, so that's tough," Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "You hate to see it. But we've got three guys that we feel really good about."

Jones carried the ball just 34 times last season for a 3.2-yard average, but he was re-signed in the off-season to a two-year contract for $3.5 million as the top backup to Forte. He looked quicker and faster in training camp than he did last season when he was still slowed from late 2007 knee surgery.

Jones was hoping for a return to the form that allowed him to rush for 1,133 yards and average 4.7 yards per carry as a Lions rookie in 2004. But his preseason results were disappointing. On 24 rushing attempts, he managed 77 yards for a 3.2-yard average, with a long gain of 9 yards.

In addition to losing Jones, the Bears have already informed 18 players that they will be cut, according to NFL sources and Internet reports, although the team would not confirm any of the moves.

The only mild surprise was wide receiver Brandon Rideau, who had an 18-yard TD catch in the preseason finale and finished the preseason with 4 catches for 43 yards. The 6-foot-3, 198-pound Rideau spent parts of 2006 and '08 on the Bears' practice squad, appeared in two games last season and was on the active roster for one game in '07.

Other players informed they will be cut are fifth-year veteran guard Dan Buenning and linebacker Darrell McClover, a Bears special-teams standout the previous three seasons. They were joined by cornerbacks Rod Hood, Woodny Turenne, Rudy Burgess and Marcus Hamilton, safety Dahna Deleston, fullbacks Jason Davis and Will Ta'ufo'ou, defensive end Joe Clermond, wide receiver Eric Peterman from Northwestern, linebackers Kevin Malast, Mike Rivera and fifth-round pick Marcus Freeman, and offensive linemen Donovan Raiola, Cody Balogh and Johan Asiata.

The Bears' roster stood at 75 after Thursday night's preseason finale, and with Jones headed to injured reserve, a total of three additional players have to be trimmed. The Bears have not informed the league of any cuts yet, and they are not expected to make any of them official until after today's deadline 5 p.m. (Chicago time) deadline when all NFL rosters must be reduced to 53.