Bears place Cutler, Forte on injured reserve

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With their playoff hopes dashed, the Chicago Bears placed quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte on injured reserve on Tuesday.

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Cutler, who has missed the past five games -- all losses -- with a broken right thumb, was scheduled to have the pins removed from the thumb on Tuesday. Forte suffered a Grade 2 sprain of the MCL in his right knee on Dec. 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Bears coach Lovie Smith said Monday that he wouldn't discourage either from playing in the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

"If they're healthy and ready to go, we won't tell them no," Smith said. "But there are some other guys we feel comfortable playing. They're making progress, but if we had other things on the line (such as a postseason berth) we would take the same approach. We would never stop a player that wanted to play who was healthy and really ready to go. But I don't know if that'll be the case."

Forte told ESPNChicago.com on Dec. 17 he'd consider returning at less than 100 percent if the team made the postseason.

To fill the roster, the Bears elevated defensive tackle Jordan Miller from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and signed guard Mansfield Wrotto to the active roster. Miller, an undrafted free agent out of Southern University, has spent the season on the practice squad. Wrotto, selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft, has played in 27 games during stints with Seattle and the Buffalo Bills.

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