Less work not necessarily bad for Bears TE Miller
In the 10 games he played last season before a foot injury ended his season, tight end Zach Miller played 83.3 percent of the offensive snaps.
He finished third on the team with 47 receptions and 486 receiving yards and tied for first with 4 receiving touchdowns.
In the off-season the Bears signed tight end Dion Sims in free-agency and drafted tight end Adam Shaheen in the second round. So Miller won't play as many snaps this year, but that's not all bad.
"I've been fairly involved to this point, so I don't think much will change," the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Miller said. "I might have to take a little bit off my plate as far as some of the short down-and-distance stuff, some of the heavy load as far as last year."
The 6-foot-4, 268-pound Sims is better equipped to handle the physical aspects of the job.
"If that'll take a little bit off the wear and tear for my body, that'll be good for me, keep me fresh," Miller said. "We'll just see how it plays out."
Fitting in:
The pertinent question about rehabbing guard Kyle Long has become: Can he play in the regular-season opener without taking any snaps in the preseason?
"It's the whole fit, not just him, but everybody around him because it affects them," coach John Fox said. "But we're going to wait until he gets healthy. He's not had setbacks, and I appreciate his efforts. It was a serious ankle injury, but he's worked very, very hard. There's a little bit of pain involved, but he's working through it.
"When he's back to close to himself, he'll be back in there. I can't honestly say when that's going to be."
It won't be in Sunday's third game because Long did not travel with the team. It's unlikely he would play in the preseason finale at 7 Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field because none of the other starters will make more than a cameo, if that.
Prove it time:
Jeremy Langford has yet to carry the ball in the preseason, and the third-year running back from Michigan State didn't practice much until the past week because he suffered a sprained ankle in the first practice of training camp.
With the emergence of rookie runner Tarik Cohen and the addition of free-agent Benny Cunningham, the competition at running back has increased and Langford might need to reinforce in the third preseason game what he brings to the table.
"We have a pretty good past with him, but he's got to get back into football mode, and the only way to do that is to play football," coach John Fox said. "He's had a good week of progress, he'll get some playing time Sunday afternoon, and (we'll) just see where he is as we march forward."
Wise beyond his years:
Eddie Jackson continues to show more maturity than the average rookie, and the fourth-round draft pick has a chance to be in the starting lineup in Week One.
"He's very football aware," coach John Fox said. "He's got a good football I.Q. He's learned our defense very quickly. He's a natural center fielder, meaning he plays the ball very well."
Jackson is also a contender for the punt-return job.
Where he belongs:
Before he came out of retirement to sign with the Miami Dolphins, former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was supposed to be on the Fox crew that will broadcast Sunday's nationally televised Bears game.
"I would've liked to see that, how critical he would've been of my play," tight end and Cutler friend Zach Miller said. "I'd have to text him prior to the game and been like, 'Listen man, don't air me out on TV.' But I'm glad to see him on a football field instead of calling one."
Sitting it out:
The following players did not travel with the Bears to Tennessee: guard Kyle Long (ankle), running back Ka'Deem Carey (wrist), defensive linemen Jonathan Bullard (gluteus) and Mitch Unrein (concussion), linebacker Jonathan Anderson (ankle), wide receivers Josh Bellamy (ankle) and Markus Wheaton (finger), cornerbacks Bryce Callahan (hamstring)and Johnthan Banks (hamstring) and safeties Chris Prosinski (hamstring) and DeAndre Houston-Carson (back).
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