Chicago Bears coach John Fox pleased with play of youngsters

The preseason numbers for 2015 first-round pick Kevin White haven't been very impressive: 3 catches for 12 yards.

But coach John Fox says the 24-year-old wide receiver, like many of his teammates, is a work in progress.

"It's all a growing experience for young players," Fox said. "We're a young football team. He's one of those guys that really is in his rookie season because he didn't play last year. He's a hard worker, a tireless worker and very competitive. I like his progress, and he'll continue to improve as we go forward."

Rookie running back Jordan Howard leads the club with 20 preseason carries but has a modest 66 yards for a 3.3-yard average and a long run of 11 yards. But Fox is pleased with his development, and Howard could get a long look in Thursday night's preseason finale against the Browns in Cleveland.

"I like his growth," Fox said of the fifth-round pick out of Indiana. "I've seen him get better every week. He does something to catch my eye, I think, every game. There's a lot to playing running back other than just running the ball; there's pass-route execution, pass protection and how they might perform on (special teams)."

Different directions:

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson said he plans to play his starters for at least part of Thursday night's preseason finale against the Bears.

Bears coach John Fox isn't saying, but history says his starters won't play.

"I think we know what we're gonna do," Fox said. "We pretty much keep that to ourselves until we get out there. What they do won't impact what we do."

Making the cuts:

The Bears reduced their roster to the mandatory 75 by placing quarterback Connor Shaw (broken leg) and center Hroniss Grasu (knee) on injured reserve, waiving linebacker Jarrett Grace, waiving injured linebacker Lamin Barrow (foot) and placing linebacker Roy Robertson-Harris on the non-football injury list.

The deadline for the final 53-man roster is Saturday at 3 p.m.

Injury update:

Linebacker Danny Trevathan (hamstring) and safety Harold Jones-Quartey (illness) did not practice Tuesday.

They joined guard Kyle Long (shoulder), cornerbacks Kyle Fuller (knee), Tracy Porter (concussion) and Bryce Callahan (hamstring), wide receiver Deonte Thompson (knee) and safety Deon Bush (concussion) on the sidelines.

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