Last looks: Mitch Trubisky, Jon Gruden and the Bears' preseason finale

Bears fans will get their last glimpse of rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky in action — for a while, anyway — Thursday at Soldier Field.

For how long depends on his growth as the season goes on — and, yes, his play against the Browns.

Here’s what we’ll be watching in the Bears’ preseason finale:

One more Mitch-a-palooza

Despite the obvious injury risk, the Bears want to see how Trubisky prepares as the starter in a shortened week — and then how he plays.

‘‘Monday Night Football’’ analyst and quarterback guru Jon Gruden, who spent time with Trubisky in the offseason, is all for it.

‘‘I think this is a great idea,’’ Gruden, a former Buccaneers and Raiders coach, said via phone Wednesday. ‘‘Let him play the whole game. Put something on his plate. Give him a game plan to sink his teeth into. Let him go out there and play. He only had the one year [starting] at North Carolina. This experience is huge for him.’’

The Bears’ plan is for Connor Shaw to replace Trubisky at some point in the game.

Trubisky has impressed Gruden through the first three preseason games.

‘‘He proved a lot of great stuff in the preseason,’’ Gruden said. ‘‘He made some good throws, he can scramble, he’s tough, I saw him handle some audibles. He put points on the board. There’s a lot to be excited about in Chicago.’’

Asked about the threat of injury, Gruden said: ‘‘You can only have so many walkthroughs. I watch these training-camp practices, and I feel bad for these young quarterbacks that are walking through routes and talking through plays. This man needs to go out there and play.

‘‘You have to live in your hopes and not your fears. Good for Chicago.’’

Who isn’t playing?

The game will be all about who’s not playing, not who is.

A healthy scratch is practically a guarantee the player has made the 53-man roster. In coach John Fox’s first season with the Bears, all 29 healthy players held out of the finale made the team. Last season, 18 of 19 did — all but returner and receiver Marc Mariani.

That rule of thumb applies more this season than ever because teams no longer have to trim their rosters to 75 players before the fourth exhibition game. They can rest even more of their relevant players.

Wideout watch

Presuming the Bears sit starters Kevin White and Kendall Wright and Markus Wheaton stays sidelined with a broken finger, they’ll have seven receivers playing for three roster spots.

Returner Deonte Thompson and rookie Tanner Gentry seem like the best bets to replace Cam Meredith, who is out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee. (Sources said Wednesday he could return as soon as OTAs next season.)

Has Victor Cruz done enough to make the team? Does Josh Bellamy’s special-teams prowess earn him a spot? Are Titus Davis, Daniel Braverman and Pig Howard fighting for a practice-squad appointment?

‘‘All of those guys are in the mix,’’ Fox said. ‘‘We’ve got another game to evaluate.’’

They would appear to be competing against themselves, but they might not be. The Bears will have the third waiver-claim spot Saturday, and they figure to seek a receiver upgrade after Meredith’s injury.

‘‘I know I always say, ‘Next man up,’ and it’s no disrespect to the player that got hurt,’’ Fox said. ‘‘You don’t want to give them excuses to whine about it. And we’re going to have to figure it out, somebody to replace him.’’

Vets on the bubble

Outside linebacker Lamarr Houston said he probably would play against the Browns. Even though he’s entering his eighth season, Houston — who is recovering from his second torn ACL with the Bears — sees the game as a chance.

‘‘Every time you touch the field, it’s an opportunity to put it on your résumé — your video is your résumé,’’ he said. ‘‘So if you’re out there on the field, you need to play. It’s an opportunity to show what you’ve got.’’

Houston might benefit from the uncertainty surrounding outside linebacker Pernell McPhee’s health.

Other vets who might play and push for a job are safeties Chris Prosinski and Harold Jones-Quartey, offensive linemen Bradley Sowell and Tom Compton, nose tackle John Jenkins and Cruz.

More ‘D’

The Bears’ starting defense has allowed one touchdown all preseason. Most of those players will be wearing baseball caps on the sideline, but their backups would do well to keep the momentum going.

‘‘I think we’ve got tougher roster decisions,’’ Fox said. ‘‘And we’ve got one more game to evaluate in a game setting.’’

Follow me on Twitter @patrickfinley.

Email: pfinley@suntimes.com

Last looks: Mitch Trubisky, Jon Gruden and the Bears’ preseason finale