Bears' Daniel ready to step in for Trubisky if needs be

Most of the Bears who line up Thanksgiving morning against the Lions in Detroit may still be sore from Sunday night's victory over the Vikings 85 hours earlier.

But the Bears' quarterback will be the most well-rested player on the field; that is, if nine-year veteran backup Chase Daniel is forced to step in for injured starter Mitch Trubisky. Daniel has just two career starts, the last one in 2014, and he's thrown only 78 career passes. He has not thrown a pass in a game this season, he didn't throw a pass last year when he was with the Saints, he threw one pass in 2016 with the Eagles and two passes in 2015, his last year with the Chiefs.

Trubisky did not practice on Tuesday because of a shoulder injury he suffered in the final minutes of Sunday night's game when, at the end of a 5-yard run, he was hit late by Vikings S Harrison Smith, who was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness.

Bears coach Matt Nagy neglected to mention Trubisky's injury Sunday night or Monday afternoon when he spoke to the media and said he wasn't made aware of it until later that afternoon. He characterized the shoulder as “a day-to-day type of deal.”

Nagy added: “(We're) just trying to figure out exactly where he's at, how he feels and what's best for him and the team. He's in pain, which is normal.”

Nagy and the Bears know the exact nature of the injury but are not divulging the details, although the coach said it would not require surgery. Nagy said he doesn't know whether Trubisky will start and probably won't until Thursday.

“We've done our testing on it, and we know exactly where he's at,” Nagy said. “But out of respect to us and the player and where we're at, I'm not going to get into the details of it.”

The Bears didn't practice Monday, and Tuesday's practice was essentially a walk-through, with Daniel taking the first-team reps at quarterback — something he hasn't done all season. Daniel is experienced in Nagy's system, having spent three years with the Chiefs (2013-15), while Nagy was the QB coach.

Trubisky has started 22 straight games since he was promoted in the fifth game of his rookie season last year, and he has not been ruled out for the Lions game.

“I'm saying cautiously optimistic, but I can't make any promises,” Nagy said. “I hope he does (play). He wants to play. But we've got to make sure that we're doing the right thing. If it's something where Chase ends up playing, then that's the way it goes, and we keep moving forward.”

While the 6-foot, 225-pound Daniel has spent a great deal of time learning the offensive system the Bears run with Nagy calling the plays, he has not had much experience actually playing in it. His last start was in Week 17 of the 2014 season, when starting Chiefs QB Alex Smith was diagnosed with a ruptured spleen midweek and Daniel found out he was starting with about the same amount of time to prepare as he'll have this week.

“I got called by (coach) Andy Reid on Thursday night, late,” Daniel said. “I only got a red-zone practice on Friday and a walk-through on Saturday, so similar timeline.”

Daniel completed 16 of 27 passes for 157 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and a 75.7 passer rating, as the Chiefs improved to 9-7 but just missed the playoffs.

“We needed the win to get in and needed some help, and we had a couple things not go our way,” he said. “But we were able to get a win at home, so it was beautiful.”

The 32-year-old Daniel hasn't thrown an incomplete pass since the 2014 season, but he's only thrown three passes. That doesn't mean the Bears aren't confident in his ability.

“This is why you have a guy like Chase,” Nagy said. “You feel very comfortable with him. Chase understands; he's the oldest guy on our team, so he's got experience.

Chase and I have a relationship, a coach-player relationship going back (to) three years in Kansas City.

“The No. 1 thing that you learn about Chase when you're around him is that he's extremely confident in how he plays because he's so smart. The game is not fast to him when he plays. He prepares for every game like he's the starter. If his time does come, he doesn't blink.”

Daniel was a picture of calm as he addressed the media at his locker before Tuesday's practice. He said he knows the scheme and he knows the personnel.

“I know the offense like the back of my hand,” he said. “It's my fifth or sixth year in this offense, so there's a very good comfort level. We're in Week (12). I throw to those guys on the side, and we're running routes every single day, so I don't think it's that big a deal.”

He might be the only one.

• Bob LeGere is a senior writer at Pro Football Weekly. Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere or @PFWeekly.