LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Bears on Tuesday terminated the contract of vested veteran cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr.

Cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. had five interceptions in two years with the Bears.

Manning appeared in 31 games with 11 starts in two seasons after signing with the Bears as a restricted free agent in 2006. He recorded 106 tackles, three sacks, five interceptions, six passes defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 13 special-teams tackles.

Manning was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2003 draft. In 79 career NFL contests, he has registered 292 tackles and 14 interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.

Stepping up: Rashied Davis is emerging as one of the Bears’ pass catchers. After three preseason games, the former Arena Football League star is tied for the team lead with five receptions and two touchdowns and tops all wide receivers with 69 yards.

“He runs hard every route,” said quarterback Kyle Orton. “He comes off the ball and really gives defensive backs trouble. Whether he’s running a short route, a long route, inside, outside, he really runs his routes well and he’s a smart football player.”

Looking ahead: Orton didn’t see the Colts lose to the Bills Sunday night, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t familiar with Indianapolis, the Bears’ Week 1 opponent.

“I’ve been watching them for weeks now,” Orton said. “We’ll be ready to go and they’ll be ready to go. They’ve got a good defense. They don’t do anything fancy. They’re in the right spot at the right time.”

After opening the season Sept. 7 in Indianapolis on Sunday Night Football, the Bears will travel to Carolina to face the Panthers seven days later.

“We’ve got a couple tough games to start off on the road this season, so we need to get off to a fast start and there would be nothing better than to start off with a win down there in Indy,” Orton said. “We’re going to have to go down there and play well and execute our offense. If we do, we have a good chance.”

On the shelf: Long-snapper Patrick Mannelly (neck) and defensive end Mark Anderson (thumb) will not play in Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Browns in Cleveland.