ESPN

Quarterback Jay Cutler is happy to see the Chicago Bears have made protecting their quarterback a priority after adding to the offensive line through free agency and with two draft picks.

The Bears, who gave up 49 sacks last season, which was fifth in the NFL, invested $17.7 million in guaranteed money in left tackle Jermon Bushrod and added guard Matt Slauson, who started 48 games the past four seasons for the New York Jets, during free agency. The Bears then picked Oregon guard Kyle Long with the 20th overall selection and Louisiana Tech offensive tackle Jordan Mills in the fifth round of the NFL draft.

"(The coaching staff is) going to make sure everyone knows their assignments and we are protected," Cutler said Monday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "Bushrod is a huge addition and we drafted some guys and some of the guys we had last year have to step in and play well. It's definitely a point of emphasis. We're not going to let the quarterback get hit. We're not going to go into games unsure about protections. Everything starts there, and I think (new offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Aaron) Kromer is doing a great job with getting those guys up to speed with exactly how they want these things done."

With seven offensive linemen coming off the board before the Bears made their pick, Cutler said he wasn't sure what his team had planned with their first-round selection.

"I watched the first round and linemen were going off the board left and right so I wasn't too sure where we were going to go," Cutler said. "We have some holes defensively, we have Bushrod through free agency so I wasn't for sure about the pick. Like any quarterback I'm pretty selfish so anytime they pick somebody on offense it's going to make me smile."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Saturday’s fifth-round choice of Louisiana Tech offensive tackle Jordan Mills is just the latest in a series of moves the Chicago Bears have made to overhaul the offensive line -- clearly the weakest unit on the team last season in the eyes of general manager Phil Emery.

The Bears are set at left tackle with Pro Bowler Jermon Bushrod.

On the right side - it’s a different story.

Veterans J'Marcus Webb and Jonathan Scott are expected to battle it out for the starting right tackle job, but neither is assured of a spot long-term. Webb and Scott are signed through 2013.

Mills is a versatile player who lined up primarily at tackle at Louisiana Tech, but also spent time at guard in 2009. At 6-5, 315 pounds, Mills has the size to play offensive tackle in the NFL, however, the Bears do seem determined to plug in larger bodies inside at guard.

“I’ll play anywhere, left side or right side.” Mills. “I told my coaches I’ll play anywhere they need me. Wherever they need me to win, I’ll be there. Like I told my coaches, if they need me at H-Back to lead block, I’ll do that.”

(Read full post)

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

A look at whether each NFC North team has been a winner or a loser in free agency.

Chicago Bears: A hot start in free agency netted left tackle Jermon Bushrod and tight end Martellus Bennett. The Bears had been trying for five years to find a genuine left tackle, and Bushrod's arrival should boost the faith of quarterback Jay Cutler. Bennett, meanwhile, gives the Bears the kind of pass-catching tight end they once had in Greg Olsen. But Bushrod and Bennett accounted for most of the salary-cap space the Bears had budgeted to use, and now they are nibbling the edges. Overall, however, the Bears improved two important positions, making them winners in free agency.

Detroit Lions: The NFC North's most active offseason team has added three new starters in running back Reggie Bush, defensive end Jason Jones and safety Glover Quin. Bush will have a big impact on balancing the explosiveness in the Lions' offense, and Quin will pair with the returning Louis Delmas to give the Lions their best safety duo in recent memory. The Lions have improved as many positions as they could have given their tight salary-cap situation.

Green Bay Packers: It's difficult to win when you don't play, and general manager Ted Thompson is notoriously reluctant to compete financially in the market. He allowed receiver Greg Jennings to sign with the Minnesota Vikings and didn't make a good enough offer on running back Steven Jackson. But the Packers have made the playoffs in four consecutive seasons by following a similar approach. These days, their focus is on saving enough salary-cap space to re-sign quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Clay Matthews. The Packers won't find two players better than that on the free-agent market.

Minnesota Vikings: In essence, the Vikings traded receiver Percy Harvin for Jennings, along with a first-, third- and seventh-round draft pick. They won't replace Harvin's unique skill set, but that's not a bad recovery. The Vikings are also in a better spot at backup quarterback with Matt Cassel rather than Joe Webb. But they don't have a middle linebacker after bidding farewell to Jasper Brinkley, and they remain thin at cornerback after releasing Antoine Winfield. The Vikings remain a work in progress this offseason. They haven't won or lost yet.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- In addition to addressing major needs, the free-agent acquisitions Tuesday of offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod and tight end Martellus Bennett provided the Chicago Bears with much needed flexibility in April's NFL draft.

"It really opened us up to not be so much driven to particular positions," Bears general manager Phil Emery said. "I'm really excited about what these two selections in the UFA market did for our draft. It allows us the opportunity to trade back. We didn't have as much flexibility before these two young men got into the Chicago Bears organization."

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- J'Marcus Webb is on the move.

Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery confirmed that Webb has been flipped to right tackle following the signing of two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jermon Bushrod to a five-year, $35.9 million contract on Tuesday.

Webb, who started 12 games at right tackle his rookie year for the Bears, is expected to be in competition with Gabe Carimi and/or unrestricted free agent Jonathan Scott, whom the Bears will attempt to re-sign. If they fail in their bid to bring back Scott, the Bears could add another tackle in free agency or the draft.

Carimi also will get a look inside at guard, according to Emery.

"He'll have opportunities both at tackle and guard," Emery said. "We'll see what is the best fit for Gabe. I'm excited to see how he comes back and competes at both those spots so we can find the best five to put together."

At the moment, Webb appears to be the front-runner to be the Week 1 right tackle, barring injury. But the former seventh-round pick out of West Texas A&M did himself no favors last month off the field. Webb had a highly-publicized run-in with the law in downstate Illinois on Feb. 27 when he was arrested during a traffic stop for allegedly being in possession of a controlled substance. The charges were later dropped.

Emery said the organization spoke with Webb shortly after the incident.

"We definitely sat down and talked to J'Marcus," Emery said on Wednesday. "We definitely let him know what our expectation level is and what our standards are, and we certainly expect that he will work diligently in meeting those expectations and standards and continue to compete for his job and add to the team."

This is a critical year for Webb, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract.

Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery said the recent free-agent acquisitions of offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod and tight end Martellus Bennett don't ostensibly "shut us down" in possibly adding more to the roster, but admitted "there's not a lot of room to wiggle" with the salary cap.

The Bears signed Bushrod and Bennett to deals approaching a combined
$60 million, and looked to offset that by jettisoning tight ends Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth, along with defensive tackle Matt Toeiana to reach $5.25 million in salary cap savings.

With several of its own players on the market such as linebackers Brian Urlacher and Nick Roach, who is scheduled to meet with the Oakland Raiders, as well as starting guard Lance Louis, defensive end Israel Idonije, cornerback Kelvin Hayden and offensive tackle Jonathan Scott, Chicago faces a difficult process in trying to bring back any of them, let alone free agents from outside the organization.

The Bears entered free agency with approximately $7 million in cap space. Bushrod counts a little more than $3 million against the cap for 2013, while Bennett will carry a cap hit of $1.94 million.

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- Odds are Martellus Bennett will love Chicago. Whether the city loves him back is entirely up to him.

Known for his eclectic tastes, the Chicago Bears' new tight end will have his fill of good restaurants, art galleries and lucrative opportunities to show off his expansive personality in Chicago.

No one ever signs with the Bears and laments their time here, at least off the field.

Read the entire column.

Three years of horrendous pass protection have finally compelled the Chicago Bears to address their offensive line. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and others, the Bears have agreed to terms with free agent Jermon Bushrod, who spent his first six seasons with the New Orleans Saints.

Bushrod has been named to the Pro Bowl the past two seasons and gives the Bears their first legitimate left tackle since John Tait retired after the 2008 season. A patchwork journey that included Orlando Pace, Chris Williams, Frank Omiyale and most recently J'Marcus Webb -- Oh, the memories! -- led the Bears to pay what will likely be a premium price to lock down the position. (Update: Bushrod received a five-year deal worth $35.9 million.) The Bears chose Bushrod over fellow free agent Jake Long, presumably because offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer coached him in New Orleans.

Kudos to Kromer, coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery for recognizing and finally acting on such an obvious liability. We've spent so much time discussing the state of the Bears' offensive line, and their annually unreasonable requests of former line coach Mike Tice to patch it together, that it feels surreal to acknowledge such a significant move.

Webb presumably will be given a chance to compete at right tackle, the position where he began his career and where 2011 first-round draft pick Gabe Carimi has flopped.

In 40 regular-season games over the past three seasons, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has absorbed 113 sacks -- the highest per-game percentage in the NFL and the third most in raw sack numbers among quarterbacks during that stretch, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Cutler's shove and verbal harangue of Webb in Week 2 last season was but one illustration of his frustration with the Bears' pass protection over his tenure.

The Bears still have work to do, even after signing Bushrod and tight end Martellus Bennett. Right guard Lance Louis remains unsigned, as is left guard Chris Spencer. The Bears want Louis back but will need to find a replacement for Spencer. It's also a bit scary to know that the top two candidates to play right tackle are both previously deposed starters. And let's not forget that center Roberto Garza has always been considered a stopgap replacement for Olin Kreutz, not necessarily a long-term replacement.

But left tackle is by far the most important position on the offensive line. The Saints didn't have the salary-cap space to keep Bushrod, and quite frankly I don't know how the Bears did, either. That's a discussion for another day. In the end, the Bears decided to stop their five-year charade at the position and have finally addressed it in a substantive way. Can you believe it?

The Chicago Bears reached agreement Tuesday to sign former New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod to a five-year contract worth $35.9 million ($17.7 million guaranteed), according to a league source, completing what might be viewed as a productive opening day of free agency.

The deal will make Bushrod the highest paid offensive lineman in team history.

Read the entire story.

Let's preface this by saying the stat about to come next isn't solely about Bears left tackle J'Marcus Webb, as much as it is about the need to upgrade the offensive line as a whole.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Bears have allowed a sack once every 11.9 dropbacks since the start of 2011, which ranks as second-worst in the NFL. Webb played every snap at left tackle over that span, but so did center Roberto Garza.

With free agency set to start Tuesday, several reports have circulated about the team expressing interest in players such as New Orleans'
Jermon Bushrod, and Miami's Jake Long. It's worth noting that under previous general manager Jerry Angelo, the Bears made an unsuccessful run in 2011 at Bushrod, who eventually re-signed with the Saints.

Meanwhile, it's unclear whether the interest in Long is genuine considering the fact his last two seasons ended with injuries, not to mention he could command a salary in the $10 million-per-year range.

(Read full post)

Waiting around hasn’t exactly paid dividends for the Bears in their pursuit of unrestricted free agents.

The Bears missed out on free-agent targets such as linebacker Justin Durant, and defensive end Jason Babin on Wednesday, only to watch arguably their top target -- Saints offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod -- agree to a two-year deal Thursday to sign with his former team as reported by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Actually, the Bears expected Bushrod to be a heavily-pursued prospect, and also knew the Saints would work hard to re-sign him.

That’s why the club made contingency plans to pursue other linemen such as Steelers tackle Willie Colon, among others.

This is getting interesting. So everyone, please stay tuned.