Friday’s news of running back Kevin Jones’ season-ending ankle injury was disturbing news, about as unsettling to hear as the injury was to see in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Browns.

What’s even more disconcerting is what might become of the Bears’ ground game this season if starter Matt Forte were to go down with an injury, and how much more risk Forte faces without a dependable backup spelling him throughout games this season.

The Bears like Garrett Wolfe and will try to get his hands on the ball as much as the flow of the game will allow, and Adrian Peterson’s constant motor and compact running style are great late in the game against a tired defense.

But realistically, neither of these guys is the complement the Bears need to give Forte a breather more often this year than last and still be able to sustain the offensive momentum.

With Saturday’s 5 p.m. deadline for trimming rosters to 53 players looming, more veteran running backs will be without jobs and it would serve the Bears well to explore all options.  Dominic Rhodes, who played for the Colts against the Bears in Super Bowl XLI, and was just released by the Bills, would be one such option.

Speaking of the 2006-07 Super Bowl, it’s by no surprise that the last time the Bears had a reliable 1-2 punch in the backfield was during that season when Cedric Benson came in to give Thomas Jones a rest and wound up punishing defenses in the second quarter and late in games.

Finding a guy that can fill that role would not only be beneficial, but crucial to the Bears’ success this season and beyond.

Here’s the last Monday Morning Quarterback that won’t be published on a Monday — or a Tuesday, following a Monday night game during the regular season — and I couldn’t be happier.  Sure, watching Bears preseason games is more fun to me than bad baseball from two non-playoff teams in August or September, but enough is enough after a while.  Game 4 of the preseason is where teams just need to get in, get out, and get on with the regular season.

I had a hunch that Lovie Smith would have sidelined Jay Cutler for the entire game against the Browns on Thursday.  Cutler had already proven everything he needed to in the previous two games and there was nothing left to prove, especially at home against a bad team.  I guess Lovie felt the need to at least get Cutler one more series of game action so as not to get rusty for the Packers game Sept. 13.  So, instead of keeping him on the bench, Ron Turner did the next best thing to avoid injury and that was have Cutler hand the ball off six times to Kevin Jones and then let Robbie Gould drill a 43-yard field goal to cap off Cutler’s only drive of action.

While Cutler managed to escape without a needless injury, the same could not be said about Jones, who injured his ankle at the end of a run toward the sideline.  Jones felt the need to leap in the air — for no apparent reason — and was pushed while airborne.  He landed on his left ankle and appeared to roll it awkwardly.  The Bears need a capable backup running back to ease the workload of Matt Forte, and Garrett Wolfe is not that back.  Hopefully, Jones’ injury is not too serious, but he’s going to probably miss some time.  I’d be surprised if he returned any quicker than a few weeks.

It was good to see Danieal Manning and Zack Bowman back in action, and Bowman picked up right where he left off in training camp by intercepting Cleveland’s Brett Ratliff on the first play from scrimmage.  I’ll reserve judgment on Bowman until after he plays more than one regular season game — the number to which he was limited in his rookie year — but in the meantime, he does look like a playmaker with a nose for the football.

For those looking for some kind of jostling between Rashied Davis, Devin Aromashodu, and Brandon Rideau for two of what appears to be only three roster spots available to them, you were sorely disappointed.  The trio caught just one pass all night and that was an 18-yard reception by Rideau, who caught a pass and shed a tackler while sprinting for the end zone.  This night was instead reserved for rookie receivers Johnny Knox and Juaquin Iglesias.  Knox had a couple good kickoff returns, including one for 50 yards, as well as catching 2 passes for 62 yards while showing the “elite speed” that everybody has been raving about.  Iglesias hauled in 5 passes for 72 yards.  The two showed why if they don’t make the Bears’ cuts, they’ll be headed to another team and not the Bears’ practice squad.

Cornerback Rod Hood had an impressive first outing on only a few days of practice with the team and will make it difficult for Trumaine McBride to make the roster.  Hood led the team with 7 tackles and also broke up a pass on third down that you’d expect veterans to do.

Marcus Harrison also flashed signs that he’s ready to be a regular contributor this season.  On a goal line play, he broke through the line of scrimmage, pursued the ball carrier laterally down the line of scrimmage and brought him down for a loss.  He also picked up a sack and showed a good motor all night.

In maybe his last game as a Bear — he could be the victim of a numbers game — tight end Michael Gaines caught two passes for 34 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass.  Gaines was brought in this offseason for his blocking, but was passed on the depth chart by Kellen Davis.

The Bears now have 9 days to wait before they take the field for real against the Packers in prime time.  They may have began the preseason slowly on the road against the Bills, but have looked impressive since then.  I think this team is ready to compete at a high level and I’m anxious to see what a full week of game planning will do.  They’ll have to be playing their best football right off the bat as Green Bay has looked even more impressive in the preseason and will have home field advantage where it’ll be a hostile environment for the Bears.  If the Bears do what they’ve done the past few games — pressure the quarterback into hurried throws and move the ball consistently on offense — they should be just fine.

After three preseason games, most players are spent and just want the regular season to begin.  A lot of them are wiped out after the training camp portion of the preseason is finished.  In the fourth game of the preseason, most positions on the roster are already figured out.  Starters may play a series or two, if at all, and they are most likely set in stone by now while the key backups just might be jostling for a position on the depth chart.

However, there is a small portion of players — call them “bubble players” — throughout the league that have one last chance at making an impression and trying to make the 53-man roster.  It’s because of this competition that football fans should still tune in to an otherwise meaningless game in which a player like Jay Cutler might not even take a snap.

Here are five things to watch in the Bears-Browns preaseason finale:

1. The running back depth chart
The Bears carried four running backs last year because they felt strongly in Adrian Peterson’s ability as a special teams player and were unsure about the health of Kevin Jones’ knee.  They might do that again this year, but Peterson might be more on the bubble than he was last year.  The team likes Garrett Wolfe as a change-of-pace back who can get the ball in space and make things happen.  Also working in Wolfe’s favor is that he contributed on special teams last year and the diminutive player came up big in that aspect, leading the team in special teams tackles until he got hurt later in the season.  Pay attention to how Jones and Peterson run the ball.

2. Last stand for wide receivers
They may not have any superstars at the position, but the Bears have a deep corps of receivers at about the same talent level and will have to make a tough choice in cutting one or more of them.  It’s likely that the Bears will keep six at the position, and starters Devin Hester and Earl Bennett are already set in stone.  Because of their status as draft picks, Juaquin Iglesias and Johnny Knox are likely to stay on board because neither one would make it back to the practice squad if they were cut.  That leaves two spots open for Devin Aromashodu, Brandon Rideau, and Rashied Davis.  The Bears value Davis’ special teams ability, so he looks like he could stick with the roster solely on that.  Jay Cutler prefers Aromashodu, but the Bears’ coaching staff and Jerry Angelo have the final say in that decision, not Cutler.  Rideau looks like the odd man out, though.  Everybody has one final game to change some minds, even though Lovie Smith said most positions are already decided.

3. Three or four tight ends?
Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark form a talented pass-catching duo that can combine for 100 receptions this year.  But that’s solely what they do: catch passes.  The Bears brought in Michael Gaines this offseason to help with blocking, but he really hasn’t made much of an impact, other than to light a fire under second-year pro Kellen Davis.  Davis has played well in the preseason for the second straight year and is listed above Gaines on the depth chart.  Whether or not Gaines makes the roster could hinge on if the Bears choose to keep three or four running backs.  Keep an eye on the battle between Davis and Gaines against the Browns.

4. Sorting out the linebackers
I’ve said all preseason that the linebacker position is the deepest on the team and now the Bears will have to sort through what they have and pick the best of the bunch.  Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, and Pisa Tinoisamoa are the starters, which leaves open three or four more spots.  Hunter Hillenmeyer, despite his declining skills, figures to stay due to his knowledge of the system and reliability in a pinch.  Nick Roach, last year’s starter on the strong side at the end of the season, and Jamar Williams also seem likely to stay.  It seems logical that the team would keep Darrell McClover, whom they signed this past week for special teams.  That would likely indicate Marcus Freeman and Kevin Malast are out the door.

5. Secondary issues
Veteran cornerback Rod Hood signed with the team on Tuesday, and while his roster spot isn’t set in stone, it would seem they brought him in there because they were unhappy with how Trumaine McBride performed this preseason, particularly against Denver this past weekend.  There were reports that Zack Bowman and/or Danieal Manning could see playing time against Cleveland, and that could help clear up the muddled secondary picture.  And then the question is whether rookie Al Afalava is competing with Manning at free safety or Kevin Payne at strong safety.  About the only sure thing in the secondary is that when Charles Tillman returns from his injury, he’ll assume his starting spot.  Hood, Nathan Vasher, McBride, rookie D.J. Moore, Craig Steltz, and Corey Graham are all fighting for either a roster spot or a particular role on the defense.