--Wide receiver/return specialist Devin Hester was at training camp on Friday, a day after saying he wouldn't report until he receives a new contract. Hester still has two years remaining on his contract that is due to pay him $445,000 this season and $530,000 in 2009, but wants to be paid like a receiver while the Bears are willing to pay him only as a top special teams performer. It was unclear if Hester was going to practice, but he faces a $15,000 fine for every day of training camp he misses.
--Defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek (calf) was placed on the Active/non-football injury list. "It doesn't seem like it's a significant injury," coach Lovie Smith said. "Whenever a guy misses any amount of time, there is a little bit of concern but not a lot. He'll be fine."
Dvoracek played well enough last preseason to earn the starting NT job in the season opener, but he suffered a torn ACL in that first game and spent the remainder of the season on injured reserve, which is also where he spent all of his rookie season in 2006 with a foot injury.
-- C Olin Kreutz (Achilles) was placed on the Active
-- CB Ricky Manning Jr. said he doesn't think he's in the team's plans after being demoted from nickel back. He's working with the third team, and said he'd like to stay with the Bears but only if his role is increased.
--The Bears used their first-round pick in 2007 on tight end Greg Olsen, who frequently flashed his combination of size, speed and receiving ability while catching 39 passes for 391 yards.
But it was 10th-year veteran Desmond Clark who was the Bears' leading receiver among tight ends, with 44 catches for 545 yards.
"Desmond has been an integral part of our offense the last three years," tight ends coach Rob Boras said. "Desmond is our starting tight end. He makes plays when he's called upon. He's very steady in the run game, which often goes unnoticed. You look at his average yards per catch the last couple years, and he's had one of the highest in the league for tight ends, so obviously he's making plays down the field."
Clark averaged 12.4 yards per catch last season to Olsen's 10.0.
--Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd's history has been that when the games begin he doesn't sustain the same high level of achievement that he displays in practice. He caught just two passes for the 49ers last season but has a chance to play key role on a Bears unit in flux.
Lloyd has reached a crossroads in his NFL career, and the Bears are hoping the talent that he displayed in offseason practices carries over onto the field when the lights and the pads are on.
"His desire right now is high, and we need for it to stay that way," wide receivers coach Darryl Drake said. "He has shown a lot of ability in practice and that needs to carry over into a game. We just need to continue to keep him going and see what happens when the pads come on. We're just going to keep pushing him, keep his desire to be good there, and I'm looking forward to him being able to help us."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I feel like the reason why I have this contract is because I've already displayed that I can carry this role. It's nothing that I have to become; I'm already there." -- DT Tommie Harris when asked if he felt added pressure after signing his four-year, $40 million contract extension.
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