Bears star Brian Urlacher could miss rest of regular season with injury

CHICAGO Brian Urlacher acknowledged he could miss the rest of the regular season because of a hamstring injury, meaning the linebacker might have played his last game with the Chicago Bears.

In an interview Tuesday with FOX Chicago, Urlacher said doctors told him he could be out "two to four weeks, three, could be four." The Chicago Tribune, citing sources, reported earlier in the day that he was expected to miss three games and possibly the rest of the regular season because of a Grade 2 right hamstring strain.

Urlacher, who has an expiring contract, came up lame in coverage on the second-to-last snap of Sunday's overtime loss to Seattle. The eight-time Pro Bowl player said "100 percent, yes," he expects to be ready for the postseason, assuming they make it.

That's not quite a given at the moment, even though they're tied with Green Bay for the NFC North lead at 8-4. A win at Minnesota this week would go a long way toward securing a spot, but with four games left, they still have some work to do.

Their only remaining home game is against the Packers, and after that, they travel to Arizona and Detroit. They've been banged up lately and dropped three of four, so the Bears are hardly peaking at the moment.

With an uncertain future in Chicago, it's possible Urlacher has played his final down for the Bears.

"I do not think that's going to happen," he told the TV station. "But, if it does, I have had a really good and long career so I would be sad, but I would not be crushed."

He's been slowed by a knee injury this year and clearly isn't as explosive.

Now, he's dealing with the hamstring issue.

Without Urlacher, Nick Roach figures to move from strong side to middle linebacker with Geno Hayes likely starting at strong side linebacker.

The Bears also signed linebacker Dom DeCicco to a two-year deal Tuesday to add depth at the position.

DeCicco was Urlacher's backup on the depth chart last year and finished with 17 special teams tackles, but he was cut after training camp, CBSSports.com's Gene Chamberlain notes.

Chamberlain report the Bears also waived practice squad QB Matt Blanchard and picked up RB Harvey Unga for the practice squad. Unga had been cut earlier in the year.