Brandon Marshall may be feeling frustrated about his hip after offseason surgery, but the Bears are going to give him some time to sort out whatever else might be bothering him.
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Bears coach Marc Trestman is giving Marshall a four-day excused absence, which will keep him away from Thursday’s preseason finale.
“This was a planned-out miss today for personal reasons,” Trestman said. “I let him go for personal reasons. But something that has been part of the offseason plan since started training camp.”
Asked if it was related to Marshall’s medical situation, Trestman said the two weren’t related, insisting it was scheduled well in advance.
“I’d rather just leave it to personal reasons out of respect to Brandon,” Trestman said. “But it’s all good. As I have said, when I let guys go for personal reasons, it’s all good. It’s not reflective of anything other than I gave him time off. He will be back on Sunday.”
Marshall’s clearly having some difficult time in camp, as quarterback Jay Cutler said: “Conditioning-wise he’s a little behind. He knows where to be. It’s just a matter of him getting out there and pushing his hip through things when it gets tight a little bit.”
But paired with his apparent uneasiness about his role, it seems an unusual time for a vacation.
Given Marshall’s singular importance to the offense and the trickle-down consequences (Cutler in a contract year really needs him well), his physical state and his frame of mind are worth keeping an eye on.