BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Working as the third receiver with the first team offense, Brandon Rideau excelled in Wednesday’s training camp practice, catching everything thrown in his direction.

The lanky 6-3, 198-pounder hauled in Jay Cutler passes on three of the first four plays in 11-on-11 team drills and later snared a Cutler laser beam to set up a field goal in a two-minute drill. Rideau also delivered a nice block against cornerback Nate Vasher on an Earl Bennett reception.

Brandon Rideau prepares to catch a pass during Wednesday's training camp practice.

“Today was a good day for me,” Rideau said. “I enjoyed getting to be more involved. The ball comes to you every once in a while. Sometimes you get it a lot, sometimes you don’t. You just have to be there to make the play when it comes.”

After failing to stick on the Bears’ 53-man roster in each of the past three seasons, Rideau is performing well in training camp and seemingly has a chance to contribute this year.

The Kansas product has appeared in two NFL games, making his debut last Nov. 23 in a road win in St. Louis and then registering two special-teams tackles in a season-ending loss in Houston. 

“Everything’s going pretty good for me [in camp],” Rideau said. “I’m minimizing my mental errors and taking advantage of every opportunity. There are a lot more opportunities to come, and I just want to do the best I can in those situations.”

Aches and pains: Cornerback Zackary Bowman, one of the Bears’ top playmakers so far in training camp, exited Wednesday’s practice with a strained hamstring. He sustained the injury while sprinting stride-for-stride with receiver Juaquin Iglesias on a long pass play.

Bowman remained down on the field for a few minutes, then walked gingerly to the sideline and then the locker room, escorted by a trainer. The injury, however, is not believed to be serious.

“I don’t think it was a real bad pull or anything like that,” said coach Lovie Smith.

With Charles Tillman out indefinitely following back surgery, the Bears finished practice without two of their top three cornerbacks. Trumaine McBride replaced Bowman with the No. 1 defense.

Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer sat out practice with a sore calf.

Sad to see: Receiver Rashied Davis was disappointed to learn that the Arena Football League has suspended operations. Davis signed with the Bears in 2005 after playing four seasons in the AFL with the San Jose SaberCats.

“I’ve got a lot of friends who were still playing and hoping for it to come back," Davis said. "Hopefully they’re able to catch on in another league or move on with their lives and their careers in a different manner."

Davis isn’t sure what he’d be doing now if he didn’t play in the AFL. But he knows that he wouldn’t be in the NFL.

“I would not be here without Arena,” he said. “I’m very appreciative of what Arena has allowed me to accomplish. I’m always supporting it and hoping that one day it comes back.”

The heater: Quarterback Jay Cutler’s tremendous arm strength was evident on a bullet he fired to Earl Bennett, his former Vanderbilt teammate. The pass hit Bennett in the helmet and knocked his mouthpiece to the ground.

Asked later if he needed to take some velocity off his throws, Cutler said: “No. Whenever we need to stick it in there, it’s going to be coming fast and the receivers know it and the tight ends know it. This game moves fast and the faster I can get them the ball the more time they have to make a move. They understand that. Earl has caught my ball for a long time. It’s just something they’re going to have to adjust to.”

One-liners: The Bears worked out in full pads for the fifth straight day. … Iglesias had his best practice of training camp with several catches, including a diving grab along the right sideline. … Caleb Hanie completed a long pass to rookie receiver Johnny Knox deep down the left sideline to set up a field goal in a two-minute drill. … Center Olin Kreutz, a six-time Pro Bowler, remained on the field after practice to work one-on-one with guard Johan Asiata, an undrafted rookie free agent from UNLV.