National Football League

Bears' Wilson breaks collarbone, out indefinitely

Published Aug. 4, 2014 8:22 p.m. ET

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BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (AP) Chicago Bears second-year wide receiver Marquess Wilson is out indefinitely after breaking his collarbone in practice on Monday.

Wilson was in a battle for the No. 3 wide receiver position behind starters Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, and last week coach Marc Trestman said he was ''in the lead right now into winning it.''

Wilson sprawled out for a deep pass in scrimmage, had trouble getting up and was taken from the field in a cart. Trestman said it's too soon to speculate on how long Wilson might be sidelined.

''I'm extremely disappointed,'' Trestman said. ''He was continuing to ascend. That's football, unfortunately. We will pray for his recovery as soon as we can get things done that need to get done.''

Trestman said coaches normally do not encourage players to dive for passes during practice due to the injury risk.

''That's probably the hardest part about coaching,'' Trestman said. ''You hear us say it all the time: `Stay off the ground, stay off the ground.' And diving for balls is probably one of the most difficult things not to do when you're a competitive player.''

Wilson, with his arm in a sling at lunch after Monday's practice, called it a reaction as much as an attempt to make a risky catch.

''Me being a receiver, I saw the ball and in my mind I said, `Go get it,' " he said. ''It was just second nature.

''I look back at it and I probably shouldn't have done it. But it just happened.''

The 6-foot-3, 194-pound player in his second year from Washington State made just two catches last year, but stood a solid chance of winning the third receiver spot that became open when the Bears opted not to bring back free agent Earl Bennett. Wilson worked out in the offseason with Jeffery and Marshall extensively and had credited that for improvement over his rookie year.

''He's been showing it consistently, making plays,'' tight end Martellus Bennett said of his teammate. ''Back in the day he was a flash player, but he's been working so hard and he's been stepping up.

''So those are going to be some hard shoes for us to fill because he's been doing a great job.''

Veterans Eric Weems, Josh Morgan, Armanti Edwards and Michael Spurlock, and first-year players Chris Williams, Josh Bellamy and Dale Moss are the other wide receivers on the Bears' roster.

NOTES: Bennett took offense to being knocked down near the goal line in a limited-contact scrimmage by cornerback Kyle Fuller, then grabbed Fuller and threw him to the ground with a body slam. Following the skirmish, Trestman stopped the scrimmage and had players go immediately to the walk-through portion of practice. ... Defensive end Jared Allen had a second consecutive day off for personal reasons. ... Cornerback Tim Jennings (quad) missed practice, while right guard Kyle Long is practicing now after missing more than a week of camp due to a viral infection.