Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli needs to see more production from his front wall, even if its time Thursday in the preseason finale at Cleveland will be limited.

Whether the line could provide sufficient help for Pro Bowl DE Julius Peppers was question entering training camp, and it remains that way despite one impressive preseason effort against Washington.

"Look at individuals, the first game, these guys got eight snaps," Marinelli said. "It's hard to generate something. Then, the next game they got 20 snaps and so on and so forth, but not an excuse, you want more."

Losing DT Stephen Paea to an ankle injury two weeks ago has contributed to a spotty a performance on the interior, which came to light against the Giants when David Scott ran for 49 yards on five carries and quarterback Eli Manning faced little pressure.

"I think getting to edges maybe a little quicker," Marinelli cited as one area of improvement.

The Giants gained the majority of their rushing yards by running outside.

A lingering issue at tackle is Brian Price. He wasn't in football shape when camp started and is still trying to recover mentally from the death of his sister in a hit-and-run accident, while also taking custody of her two sons.

Price is getting a strong challenge at tackle from former Giant Nate Collins. If Collins stays stout, Price's job could be in jeopardy.

At end, Corey Wootton had been a question. Plagued by various injury issues in the past, the former Northwestern star seemed to avoid those enough to build a case for remaining with the team despite a challenge from first-year player Cheta Ozougwu of Rice and veteran Chauncey Davis.

"He played very well last week for us, really hitting it and he’s had a good camp," Marinelli said. "Had the little groin (strain) for five or six days and came back very sharp. I just see confidence with him and explosion is still there, I’m seeing it and you feel good about it."

Holding out hope: Punter Adam Podlesh won't rule out returning from a hip pointer for the regular-season opener. "It’s still a possibility," he said. "We’re going to be smart about how we get myself back on the field."

The team is moving ahead with Ryan Quigley as the punter for Thursday's game -- and possibly for the season.

Sick bay: LB Brian Urlacher (knee), safety Chris Conte (shoulder), Paea (ankle), and LB Dom DeCicco (groin) remain sidelined, but DeCicco this week has been doing more running on the side and may be closer to a return -- provided he makes the final roster. The second-year player is in a battle with Patrick Trahan, Xavier Adibi, J.T. Thomas and Jabara Williams for what could be one or two roster spots.

What's next: Preseason ends with the 6:30 p.m. CT game Thursday at Cleveland and the team will announce cuts late Friday. The Bears then get the weekend off before preparing on Monday for the opener.

Follow Bears reporter Gene Chamberlain on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLCHI.