All indications are that Hunter Hillenmeyer did not suffered a fractured rib in Sundays victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Hillenmeyer was originally injured on a run play in the second quarter, and then he tried to continue playing before taking two more hits in the same area on his torso.

He was examined at Qwest Field, and in cases like this the team always gives the player an X-ray. Following the game, a source said the injury was not that serious, and coach Lovie Smith backed that up today at his press conference.

"We'll see how that plays out the rest of the week, hopefully he'll be able to go [Sunday vs. Detroit],'' Smith said. ``It isn't as serious as [tight end Desmond Clark's] injury, so hopefully we'll get good news on that front.''

Clark suffered a fractured rib in the opener at Green Bay, but he returned to practice for limited duty on Friday, and it's his hope that he will play vs. the Lions after missing just two weeks. Still, the Bears are going to have to consider adding some help at the position. They are razor thin at linebacker. Pisa Tinoisamoa will probably test out his sprained right knee in practice this week, and there is a possibility he will return to action against Detroit. Like Clark, he was injured in the opener. But when Hillenmeyer went down, the Bears were left with only one reserve linebacker--recently signed Tim Shaw. Nick Roach moved from strong side to the middle, and Jamar Williams took over at strong side.

As expected, the Bears have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with linebacker Tim Shaw. It is conditional on him passing a physical.

Brian Urlacher has been placed on injured reserve. It's unknown if this will prevent the team from pursuing free agent Derrick Brooks any further.

"Derrick's been a great player for a long time in the league," said coach Lovie Smith, who was Brooks' position coach in Tampa Bay. "He's a linebacker who's available. We're looking at all available players right now. Derrick would be a part of that. There's no more than that right now. Looking at everyone that's out there available."

The Bears will sign linebacker Tim Shaw to a one-year contract provided he passes a physical, which he is expected to do, a league source told the Sun-Times.

Shaw, a fifth-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2007 from Penn State, is at least part of the solution for the Bears, who found out this morning that middle linebacker Brian Urlacher will miss the remainder of the season following surgery on his right wrist. Strong-side linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa is also out about a month, maybe a little more, with a right knee sprain. The Bears could need special teams help as well with Trumaine McBride signed.

If the Bears deem it necessary to go out and find some help on special teams, the club is believed to be at least considering veteran Khary Campbell, who was cut loose by the Houston Texans at the end of the summer.

Campbell was the leading special teams player for the Washington Redskins for the last five seasons, and fits what the Bears seek in a linebacker as he's a little undersized at 6-2, 224 pounds. Campbell can run, and the Bears might view him as a better backup at multiple positions on the defense than Darrell McClover, who they have had before. Of course, McClover knows the system, knows the coaches and could fit in seamlessly after a two-week stint during preseason.