The Bears are preparing to wait until Thursday evening to decide whether tight end Trey Burton will play in the season opener against the Packers.
Burton, who hurt his groin last week in what the team claims is a separate injury from the problem that prompted offseason surgery, was limited in practice for a second straight day. He was on the field during the portion of practice that was open to the media Tuesday.
“I feel like it is getting slightly better, but we’ll make that decision as we go,” coach Matt Nagy said. “But it’ll end up being pretty much a game-time decision, and that’s all we can really do. We’re prepared both ways.”
Burton suffered a mild groin strain last week, the Bears said.
The team will issue a league-mandated injury report Wednesday, and Burton figures to be on it. Because they won’t hold a standard practice, the report will be hypothetical, showing how much work their players could have done.
Burton missed the Bears’ last game of consequence, too. He woke up the day before the playoff game against the Eagles with a groin problem that later required surgery.
‘I don’t want field goals’
When asked if he was anxious to see Eddy Pineiro kick field goals Thursday, a half-kidding Nagy said that he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“I want to see a lot of extra points — I don’t want field goals,” he said. “And that’s nothing against him. That’s just the mindset we have on offense.
“If he gets a chance to go out there, then [I want to] see him really have that confidence going out there and putting it.”
He said Pineiro has just been himself throughout the kicker derby.
“He has a happy-go-lucky attitude — he shows that after he makes his kicks,” Nagy said. “He’s frustrated after he misses his kicks. I kind of like that. It shows that he really cares, and I’m OK with that. This whole time, he’s never run away from the challenge we have given him mentally and then physically. He’s attacked it full steam ahead.”
This and that
Defensive end Bilal Nichols was limited with a knee injury, but it was no surprise. The Bears traditionally hold their last practice of the week indoors at the Walter Payton Center. They try to keep Nichols off the artificial turf as much as they can. He’ll still start Thursday night.
u Backup offensive tackle Rashaad Coward practiced for the first time since hurting his left elbow in the third preseason game. He was limited.
u On Wednesday, the Bears will continue their dance-contest tradition. The day before the game, the team takes 15 minutes in the locker room to pit two players against each other. A panel of “American Idol”-style judges picks the best dancer. Nagy said the panel has grown from three to five this year to prevent anyone from fixing the contest.
“We’ve got some good little prizes for them,” he said. “It’s fun. We’ve got them all on video, not by our players, but I have them for someday down the road.”
