LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears were minus another starting-caliber wide receiver Wednesday as veteran Eddie Royal missed practice because of a hip injury.
Royal's availability for Saturday's preseason game at Cincinnati is up in the air.
"Again, I can't predict what is going to happen," Bears head coach John Fox said. "He was kind of new today. We'll see as the week wears on who will be available for Saturday.
"I hate giving timelines. I don't know what long-term means, really. In my mind he's day-to-day and we'll see how he does tomorrow."
Royal is the fourth receiver sidelined due to injuries in the preseason, joining rookie Kevin White (PUP), Alshon Jeffery (calf) and Marquess Wilson (hamstring).
This is unchartered territory for quarterback Jay Cutler, who spent Wednesday throwing to Marc Mariani, Joshua Bellamy, Rashad Lawrence and Jeremy Kelley. Kelley, who the Bears list at 6-foot-6, made a pair of nifty grabs in the back of the end zone during the red-zone period.
"Yeah, I've never been a part of anything like that -- all four going down like that," Cutler said. "It's a great opportunity for these guys and it's given me an opportunity to work with them and do some hands-on stuff with them. They're excited. I got in the huddle there with these guys and they're all excited to be out there, they want to the ball; they want to do things the right way, so we'll see how it goes.
"It just makes me have to work a little bit harder. It makes me have to communicate with them and make sure they know exactly what they're supposed to do, so I've got to be on it on my end as well. It's a challenge for us. Like I said, it's a really good group of guys, so I enjoy working with them."
In addition to Royal, Jeffery and Wilson: safety Ryan Mundy (hip) and tight end Chris Pantale (illness) did not practice.
