LAKE FOREST, Ill. – If tight end Desmond Clark’s foot injury prevents him from playing Sunday night against the Seahawks, the Bears are confident that backups John Gilmore and Gabe Reid will fill the void.

“It would be a great opportunity for them,” said quarterback Rex Grossman, the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. “I know what they can do, and they can step up and play extremely well.”

Dating back to 2005, John Gilmore's last three receptions have all been touchdowns.

Clark missed his third straight day of practice Friday and remained questionable on the injury report. His availability for Sunday night’s game likely won’t be known until just before kickoff.

“We’ll take it right up until,” said coach Lovie Smith. “We have a practice (Saturday). Hopefully he’ll be able to do a little bit then as far as the walkthrough is concerned. Then we’ll take it right up to game time, let him go out and see how it feels then.”

After catching 24 passes each of the past two seasons, Clark has 12 receptions and one TD in three games. His 193 yards receiving rank second among NFL tight ends, trailing only the Cleveland Browns’ Kellen Winslow, who has 197 yards on 19 catches.

Clark sprained his foot while making a 17-yard reception in the third quarter of last Sunday’s win in Minnesota. He returned for one play, then limped off the field and was carted to the locker room.

If Clark can’t play, Gilmore would start in his place. The fifth-year pro is considered a better blocker than receiver, but his last three catches have all been TDs. He scored on his only two receptions of the season from 5 and 3 yards in a Week 2 win over the Lions.

“I’m just going to fill that role until he gets healthy,” said Gilmore, who has started six of 58 career games played with the Bears. “I’m going to keep plugging and doing what we’re doing. I’ve been here before. I’m no stranger to it. That’s my job.”

In other health news Friday, wide receiver Mark Bradley (ankle) was downgraded to doubtful after missing practice for the third straight day. Safety Chris Harris (ankle) remained questionable after participating in the workout.

On the shelf: Speedy wide receiver Airese Currie was placed on injured reserve Friday for the second time in as many seasons, one day after he hurt his foot in practice. The 2005 fifth-round draft pick missed his entire rookie campaign with foot and hamstring injuries.

“We’re definitely disappointed in that,” Smith said. “(It’s) no fault of his; injuries happen. It’s a shame we haven’t gotten a chance to really see what he can be because he has a lot of talent.”

Currie made his NFL debut in the season opener at Green Bay on special teams, but he was inactive the last two games.

To the Maxey: The Bears filled Curries’s roster spot Friday by claiming rookie defensive back Marcus Maxey off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs. Maxey, who was chosen by the Chiefs in the fifth round of the draft from Miami, was inactive the first two games of the season.

Under pressure: Grossman isn’t sure whether the Seahawks will blitz him as much as the Vikings did last Sunday at the Metrodome, where the Bears were affected by the deafening crowd noise. But the conditions at Soldier Field no doubt will be more favorable for the offense.

“The biggest thing the Vikings did was play really well,” Grossman said. “They didn’t really do anything we couldn’t handle. But they mixed it up a little bit in the first half. It’s so loud—the crowd was into it the whole game—that it was hard for our offensive line and myself to communicate with some of the checks as far as who has who in pass protection and things like that. So that was just a couple of plays that affected that, which eventually we got together.”

The Bears have allowed just two sacks this season—one each to Green Bay and Minnesota. Only the San Diego Chargers, who haven’t permitted any sacks in two games, have given up fewer.

“I’ve got complete faith in our offensive line,” Grossman said. “They’re going to pick up everything, and it’s my job to drop back and throw it. They’re great players up front and hopefully they’ll be able to handle anything that any team brings them.”

Rex appeal: Running back Cedric Benson was among the first players to congratulate Grossman on the sideline after the quarterback’s game-winning 24-yard TD pass to Rashied Davis in Minnesota. After practice one day this week, Benson reiterated his support for his teammate.

“I’ve been in Rex’s corner since I got here,” said the 2005 first-round draft pick. “Lovie is, the team is, the organization is, and I bought along with it too. He was a great quarterback at Florida and I know he can do the same things here. You need a great quarterback. The Super Bowl is the ultimate goal, so I was really proud to see him bounce back and get that win.”