BEARS: Lance Briggs, who started 13 games at outside linebacker last season, moved to the middle as the temporary replacement for Pro Bowler Brian Urlacher. He pulled a hamstring Wednesday and is expected to be out several weeks.

"When your star goes out, it makes the rest of the guys stand up a little bit more," coach Lovie Smith said. "We need to get our younger players further along and that's what we'll be able to do right now."

Smith said second-year man Hunter Hillenmeyer and rookie Jeremy Cain also would get a chance to fill in for Urlacher.

Briggs, a second-year man from Arizona, played middle linebacker in college but not as a rookie. "It's going to take a little bit for him, but that's why we wanted to get him out there right away," Smith said.

RAMS: Marshall Faulk, bothered by injuries for the past few years, is healthy again. But he acknowledges that he doesn't know how long his body, and ultimately his career, will last.

"This is probably the first year I've thought about it like 'Man, if the body isn't acting right, what do I do?' " the 31-year-old running back said. "Do I fight through it or do I not play? That's something I'm going to have to evaluate after the season."

After two days of the Rams' workouts, Faulk said he's feeling fine and after watching himself on tape said he looked "pretty good to myself."

The Rams are taking steps to conserve Faulk, limiting his participation and shutting him down for the morning practice during two-a-day workouts. He probably won't play much in the preseason, either.

Last season, a bad knee and a broken hand kept Faulk out of five games and limited him to 818 yards rushing and 45 receptions for 290 yards. He had knee surgery in the offseason.

"If he says his knee is a little bit sore and we need to take some time, then that's what we do," coach Mike Martz said. "He knows exactly what he needs to do to get ready."

EAGLES: Rookie cornerback Dexter Wynn is making a positive impression on the Philadelphia coaching staff.

"It seems like he makes a play every day," coach Andy Reid said.

Wynn, a sixth-round pick, is one of two cornerbacks the Eagles selected in this year's draft. After losing Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor to free agency, the Eagles needed to add depth behind Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown.

In the third round, they drafted Matt Ware, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound corner out of UCLA. Three rounds later, they picked Wynn, listed at 5-9, 177.