Bears not waiting on Martellus Bennett to show

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The Bears moved along in their second week of organized team activities without Martellus Bennett as the No. 1 tight end continues hoping for a new contract or trade to a team that will give him one.

OTA’s are voluntary, so Bennett is not incurring any fines. But neither is he incurring any time with a new offensive coordinator and system.

“As I said before, this is voluntary,” said coach John Fox. “It's not going to change for the rest of this off-season…. I just know we've got a lot guys out here working really hard to get better.”

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Fox did not venture a guess on whether Bennett, a Pro Bowl’er after his career-best 90 receptions in 2014, will be attending the June 16-18 mandatory minicamp, the last stop before training camp opening on July 29.

“I can't predict what those [attendance] intentions are, just that I'd prefer him to be here,” Fox said, “and now we'll put all of our energy and focus on the guys that are.”

The guys that are in camp number six, headed by Bear Pascoe, like Bennett a former New York Giant. And Zach Miller, plagued by season-ending ankle injuries the past two years, has made an early impression, as he had last preseason with his six catches in the win over Philadelphia before suffering his latest injury.

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“[Miller] made a really good grab yesterday,” Fox said. “I think he's flashed. We're kind of monitoring him and his reps. This time of the year, with 89 guys out there, you're able to spread those reps. But he's a guy that we heard had a great [2014] camp, and some of the things we were able to go back and research. So he was a good get for us in the off-season and we just need him to stay healthy.”

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