Dolphins vs Bears injury report a lengthy list for Miami

The Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears will face off this weekend in the second straight NFC North contest for the South Florida franchise. Last week, Miami lost to the Green Bay Packers in a game in which the Dolphins appeared to be the healthiest they have been all year. This week, the injury list has grown for Miami.

The good news for Miami is that only one player did not participate in practice. Defensive back Jimmy Wilson, who moved from the starting safety position back to his previous role as the team's nickel cornerback with the return of Reshad Jones against the Packers, sat out the workout with a hamstring issue.

The Bears were not so lucky, as six players did not practice, headlined by linebacker Lance Briggs who is battling an injury to his ribs. Briggs was unable to play last week against the Falcons, and this week is not starting any better for the sevent-time Pro Bowl selection, though the team has not ruled him out of the game. Joining Briggs on the sidelines at practice were safety Chris Conte (shoulder), tackle Jordan Mills (foot), and linebacker D.J. Williams (neck). The team also held out running back Matt Forte and defensive tackle Stephen Paea for "non-injury related" reasons, giving them a rest day.

Miami's list of players who were limited in practice is the bad news for the Dolphins, as the number of players who missed at least some portion of the workout is 11 players long, with most of them starters. The top name on the list is quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is dealing with an ankle injury this week. While nothing indicates Tannehill will miss Sunday's game, the third year quarterback has started all 37 games for Miami since he was drafted in the first round in 2012, the injury was enough for Miami to sign quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson to the practice squad, giving them four quarterbacks, Tannehill and Matt Moore on the 53-man roster and Seth Lobato and Bethel-Thompson on the practice squad.

Also limited were Pro Bowlers tackle Branden Albert (elbow), long snapper John Denney (knee), and cornerback Cortland Finnegan (neck), as well as starters tight end Charles Clay (knee), wide receiver Brandon Gibson (hamstring), running back Lamar Miller (knee), linebacker Koa Misi (ankle), center Samson Satele (hamstring), and linebacker Philip Wheeler (shoulder/thumb). Reserve offensive lineman Shelley Smith (knee) was also limited.

The Bears listed four players, linebacker Jonathan Bostic (back), tackle Jermon Bushrod (knee/ankle), safety Ahmad Dixon (hamstring), and cornerback Sherrick McManis (quadriceps/knee), as limited.

Both teams also listed players as full participants in their Wednesday workouts. For Miami, the list had safety Louis Delmas, who has an elbow injury, and guard Dallas Thomas, with a shoulder problem, while Chicago included linebacker Shea McClellin with a hand injury.  McClellin has been inactive for the past four games due to the injury, a broken hand he suffered on September 17.

The Dolphins visit the Bears this Sunday, with kickoff scheduled for 1pm ET.