Bears coach John Fox missed practice, but quarterback Jay Cutler did not.

Cutler, dealing with a sprained right thumb, returned to practice Wednesday. According to the team, he practiced on a limited basis, which means his status for Sunday's home game against the Lions is probably still uncertain. Considering Cutler didn't practice at all last week, the news should be seen as a sign of progress.

It's unknown when exactly Cutler suffered the injury, but he's been sidelined since the third quarter of the Bears' Week 2 loss to the Eagles. In his place, Brian Hoyer finished out that game and started against the Cowboys on Sunday, which resulted in yet another loss.

A surgeon called the injury the Tommy John of quarterbacks, so there was initially a fear that Cutler would miss a large chunk of time. But as CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported, Cutler pushed his coaches to let him play last weekend. Ultimately, Cutler failed to get cleared and Hoyer commandeered the offense.

If Cutler plays Sunday, he'll give the Bears their best chance at winning their first game, but it's worth noting that he won't solve all of their issues. The running game hasn't gotten going and now Jeremy Langford is reportedly out 4-6 weeks. They also can't protect the quarterback. Both of their tackles, Charles Leno and Bobby Massie, have been awful.

Furthermore, the defense has been decimated with injuries. Pass rusher Pernell McPhee is out for some time. Inside linebacker Danny Trevathan underwent thumb surgery. Defensive tackle Eddie Goldman is dealing with a high ankle sprain. Cornerback Kyle Fuller is on injured reserve. Outside linebacker Lamarr Houston is out for the year. And rookie Jonathan Bullard suffered a foot injury.

Cutler is important to the team, but he is not its savior.