Brandon Marshall is banged up but he's willing to play against the Niners. (Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports)
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Wide receiver Brandon Marshall insisted Thursday he will try to play Sunday at San Francisco and hopes to practice Friday despite a sprained ankle.
Marshall and fellow injured wide receiver Alshon Jeffery haven’t practiced this week. Jeffery suffered a pulled hamstring Sunday. Marshall said he is willing to try to play even if it means he could aggravate the injury.
“That’s a possibility, but you only get so many opportunities, man,” he said. “There’s a big goal, and we dropped one last week. If I can help out the team I’m going to be out there. That’s part of the game — it’s volatile, it’s risky.
“Hey, I’m gonna go down swinging. I’ll be out there Sunday. That’s what I’m saying, but of course I’m not the head decision-maker here. But I’m gonna be out there in my mind, and I’ll be OK.”
The Bears are actually down three wide receivers because Josh Morgan has a groin injury that had him practicing on a limited basis Wednesday and not at all Thursday.
As a result, the only member of the 53-man roster’s receiver corps practicing was Santonio Holmes, who also will double as the punt returner after the team cut receiver-returner Michael Spurlock this week. They were using practice squad members Josh Bellamy, Greg Herd and Rashad Ross at wide receiver.
Bellamy and Herd were with the team in preseason, and quarterback Jay Cutler had thrown to them extensively as the coaching staff made a point of having him throw not just to first-team players.
“That was a smart move looking back on it, taking a lot of reps with those guys in training camp and even OTAs,” Cutler said. “I’ve got a good comfort level for what Josh Bellamy and Josh Morgan and all those guys can do physically, what they’re good at, what routes they like, how they’re coming out of cuts. So it’s a good thing that we did that.”
Wide receiver Chris Williams was signed to the practice squad. He was cut at the end of preseason by the Bears and had four catches for 94 yards in preseason games. That included a 73-yard touchdown pass.
Linebacker DeDe Lattimore was cut from the practice squad to make room for Williams.
