Bears' Tillman expects full recovery from surgery

Even though he could miss all of the preseason after undergoing arthroscopic back surgery two weeks ago, Bears cornerback Charles Tillman insists all is well.

"I'll be fine for the season," Tillman told the Bears' Web site Tuesday at Halas Hall. "There's no need to panic. When I panic, then you can panic. But I'm not panicking, so we're good.

"(Things) happen. I'm just glad it happened now versus in the season. But I'm all right. I'm always optimistic."

Halas Hall employees, who saw Tillman as he stopped briefly at the facility, said he showed no signs of an injury and was moving normally. But he is not expected to join his teammates for any on-the-field activities during training camp, which begins Friday with a 3 p.m. practice at Olivet Nazarene University and ends on Aug. 20.

The surgery, Tillman's second of the off-season, was necessary to remove a disc fragment from his lower back, according to the Bears. The 27-year-old Tillman also had shoulder surgery in January, and he had a similar procedure on his back following the 2006 season after missing the final two games. Despite those injuries, Tillman has missed just five starts in the past four seasons.

He will begin camp on the physically unable to perform list and can be activated at any point prior to the deadline that requires NFL teams to reach the mandatory 53-man roster limit.

Tillman could return for the Bears' final preseason game on Sept. 3 against the Browns at Cleveland. While he is out, the Bears will get a longer look at several backups, including second-year player Zack Bowman, third-year player Trumaine McBride and rookie D.J. Moore. Corey Graham, who started nine games at cornerback last season but was switched to safety in the off-season, may also be moved back to cornerback.