[CBFF] CB - Bears sign two undrafted tight ends, 11 others

[NEWS ARTICLE]

Bears sign two undrafted tight ends, 11 others
By Larry Mayer
May 1, 2006
  
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Tight ends Tim Day of Oregon and
Cooper Wallace of Auburn were among 13 undrafted free
agents who agreed to terms with the Bears on Monday.

The acquisitions allowed the Bears to bolster a
position they did not address in the draft with two
prospects who have a legitimate chance to make the
final roster.

"I thought Day would have gotten drafted and Wallace
could have gotten drafted, so we felt in free agency
those were probably as good of players as you could
get," said general manager Jerry Angelo. "They looked
at our situation and they jumped on it.

"We were real happy to get both of them signed. Both
had a lot of production (in college). Day is a real
good receiver and Cooper is a good receiver and
blocker."

Starting nine of 12 games as a senior, Day had 25
receptions for 215 yards and 1 TD. The 6-3,
256-pounder is a fluid athlete who possesses good size
and pass-catching ability. Day's offensive coordinator
last season at Oregon was former Bears offensive
coordinator Gary Crowton.

Wallace started 11 games in 2005, catching 20 passes
for 195 yards and 1 TD. Smart and mature, the 6-3,
261-pounder has decent hands but is more of a blocker
than a pass receiver.

"They're different," Angelo said. "The good
similarities are that they come from major college
programs and they were three-year starters. Day has
very good speed and hands. He's a guy who can stretch
the field. Wallace is a little bit of both-a good
blocker and good receiver-but not a downfield guy like
Day is. Both were very productive within the framework
of their offense, and again, we feel pretty good about
getting them."

The Bears considered taking a tight end in the draft,
but with more wants than needs, they instead selected
the best player available with each pick.

"There were quite a few out there that we were looking
at that we liked," said offensive coordinator Ron
Turner. "It just didn't fall that way. When it came
time to pick, we went with the guy that we felt was
best for the organization, and I think that's good."

With 17 tight ends chosen in the draft and 10 new NFL
head coaches implementing different schemes, the Bears
are expecting to see some turnover at the position
this summer and will be prepared to act if certain
players hit the waiver wire.

For now, however, Day and Wallace will provide the
necessary boost.

"We created very good competition at all spots on our
roster, some through free agency with (Brian) Griese
at the quarterback position and with Ricky Manning
coming in here (at cornerback)," Angelo said. "The
only position we were not able to do that at was tight
end.

"It's not an indictment on the tight ends we have-the
same guys we had last year-we just want to create more
competition at all positions. We weren't able to get
that done. (But) we signed two good college free
agents from great programs. We like them, our scouts
like them, and we will continue to look as teams
assess themselves and go from there."

Other undrafted free agents who signed with the Bears
Monday were Miami guard Nate Bunce, Ohio cornerback
Dion Byrum, Ohio State kicker Josh Huston, Louisville
guard Travis Leffew, Notre Dame offensive tackle Mark
LeVoir, Cal-Berkley safety Donnie McCleskey, Miami
guard Tyler McMeans, Northwestern receiver Mark
Philmore, Bowling Green running back P.J. Pope, Texas
Tech safety Dwayne Slay and Louisiana-Monroe punter
Joel Stelly.

Huston, the top kicker on the Bears' draft board,
converted 22 of 28 field goal tries including 17 of 18
inside 40 yards. He also set an Ohio State record with
49 touchbacks on 70 kickoffs.

"We really didn't do much recruiting," Angelo said.
"He called us and said, 'This is where I want to be,'
so we have some pretty good competition going on right
there. We like his confidence." 

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