[CBFF] Bears basically bargain hunting :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears - Sent Using Google Toolbar

[Tom Shannon]

Bears basically bargain hunting :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES ::
Bears<http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/840267,CST-SPT-bear13.article#>

Bears basically bargain hunting  WR Johnson still is out there, but focus
seems to be turning to draft

March 13, 2008
BY BRAD BIGGS <bbiggs at suntimes.com> bbiggs at suntimes.com

The splash might not be quite the same as it would if they were coming off
the open market, but when the Bears hammer out contract extensions for
defensive tackle Tommie Harris and returner Devin Hester, the money will
come from the team's free-agency allotment just the same.

There's no way the Bears will let either Pro Bowl player escape Halas Hall,
not after carefully planning efforts to keep both in place long-term. Other
than teams spending top dollar to re-sign their own, the free-agency
splurging is pretty much over.
 » Click to enlarge image
 Bears' general manager Jerry Angelo
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times file)


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<http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/840427,CST-SPT-bsep13.article>
* Inside the Bears: *Updates from our blog

The Bears got one of the more reasonable big buys by bringing back
linebacker Lance Briggs at their original offer, while they lost big-play
threat Bernard Berrian before adding wide receivers Marty Booker and Brandon
Lloyd at what remains a position of need.

So they find themselves in the same position as most teams, browsing through
the half-off bins and ramping up preparation for the draft in six weeks.
They still need a starting guard and tackle, a No. 1 receiver, real
competition for running back Cedric Benson and a third quarterback -- and
that's before considering depth issues at defensive tackle and safety.

That's more needs than can be squeezed into the first three rounds, in which
the Bears hold four picks in the top 90.

Where they turn now is a question only general manager Jerry Angelo can
answer. One addition that makes sense is still available, but the window may
be closing soon.

Joel Segal, the agent for free-agent wide receiver Bryant Johnson, said
Wednesday night that he is in negotiations with three teams -- not including
the Bears -- and anticipates having a deal done by the weekend.

Interest in Johnson, a former first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals, had
appeared to cool because of a high asking price. The only team he is known
to have visited is Buffalo, though Tampa Bay and Washington are reported to
be interested. After Berrian signed a $42 million deal with Minnesota on
March 1, Johnson was considered at the top of the next tier of wideouts.

Booker serves as a replacement for Muhsin Muhammad, but Lloyd is no
guarantee to make the team. The Bears still need to enhance their receiving
corps, and using a first-day draft pick will make it more difficult to fill
other needs. Berrian is the only wideout Angelo has drafted who has done
anything of note.

While time appears to be running out, it's not too late to sign Johnson, who
would take pressure off Hester and Mark Bradley to perform. Bradley hasn't
been able to stay healthy, and Hester has much to learn at wide receiver.

The secondary group of available receivers is thinning out. Drew Carter
signed with Oakland, and Justin McCareins returned to Tennessee. D.J.
Hackett visited Washington on Wednesday and reportedly will be in Tampa
today.

If the Bears don't add another piece or two through free agency, they will
have to hit on their draft picks. Angelo has acknowledged the focus will be
on offense, and that's where he has come up short in six drafts.

Of the 176 starts on offense last season, the Bears filled 66 with draft
picks. Sixteen of those were by center Olin Kreutz, a holdover from the Mark
Hatley regime. So less than 30 percent of the starts were by draft picks
from 2002 to '07.

The Bears need the most help on the line. That need corresponds with one of
the strengths of the draft. Eight tackles were taken in the first three
rounds last year, and five or six could come off the board in the first
round this year. Coach Lovie Smith and line coach Harry Hiestand were in
Idaho on Monday to work out Boise State tackle Ryan Clady. The team loaded
its interview list at the combine with linemen.

It's too expensive to build a line through free agency -- just ask the
Bears. The starting line last season took up more than $19 million of the
salary cap, or 17.5 percent, and failed to justify it with its performance.

With the 14th pick, the Bears could be in position to trade down, as Angelo
has done twice in the last five years. Teams don't often desire to give up
draft picks and pay millions more for a player to trade into the top eight
spots or so. The next eight, however, are hot for dealing.

That's what the Bears discovered last year, when they considered trading
Briggs and the 31st pick to Washington for the No. 6 pick. If they got No.
6, no one wanted it.

Who knows if Angelo will find a trade partner this time around. But even
with most of the role players already signed, he could use a little more
depth in the first three rounds.