ESPNChicago.com's Jeff Dickerson confirmed Monday that Bears safety Danieal Manning, a restricted free agent who has yet to sign his tender, will sign an injury waiver this week and begin participating in the team's offseason conditioning program.

Manning's situation is more complex than I originally gave it credit for. My outsider's view has been that Manning blew his last opportunity to be a full-time starting safety in 2009, in part because of a hamstring injury that slowed him during training camp. Bears coach Lovie Smith has been unusually vocal in discussing the need to upgrade the position, and Manning's future with the team has seemed pretty limited.

But it's time to assess reality. The Bears filled a number of holes in free agency, but safety is not one of them. According to Dickerson, the Bears' first-team safeties during early workouts have been Josh Bullocks and Craig Steltz. In the judgment year of the Smith-Jerry Angelo regime, do you want either of those players on the field on a regular basis?

It's generally been assumed the Bears would address safety in the draft. A reasonable best-case scenario is finding one immediate starter at safety. That would leave a rookie starting alongside Bullocks and Steltz, barring future additions. I would call that an upgrade only by default.

That's why I now think Manning is going to end up in a bigger role this season than initially anticipated. It's always possible the Bears could sign a veteran after the draft or even during training camp. Barring an addition, however, you can't tell me that Manning should take a secondary role behind Bullocks and Steltz on a relative scale.

Manning can see what we're seeing, and that probably explains why he hasn't signed his tender yet. He might have appeared destined for the trash heap, but circumstances suggest the Bears are going to need him at some point this season.