Report: Bears get veteran receiver Williams

It's already been a busy morning for the Bears.

According to a report by ESPN, the Bears have reached an agreement with former Pro Bowl wide receiver Roy Williams, who was cut Thursday by the Cowboys.

And the Bears also have reached agreement with second-round draft pick Stephen Paea, a defensive tackle, and third-round safety Chris Conte.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Williams could be the big pass catcher that the Bears have been missing, and it's not far-fetched to imagine him as the team's leading receiver, if he can duplicate the numbers he put up with the Lions in 2006. Williams caught 82 passes for 1,310 yards and 7 touchdowns that season under offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who now coordinates the Bears' offense. Williams' second-best NFL season was the following year, also in Martz's offense in Detroit, when he caught 64 passes for 838 yards.

Over the past three seasons in Dallas, however, Williams caught a total of 94 passes for 1,324 yards. The signing of Paea, a defensive tackle from Oregon State, and Conte, a safety from California, leaves first-round draft pick and offensive tackle Gabe Carimi as the only unsigned draft pick.

Paea was selected 53rd overall and was a two-time winner of Morris Trophy, which goes to the top defensive lineman in the Pac-10 while also being named the 2010 Pac 10 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year. He started 37 of his 38 games, making 129 tackles (60 solo), with 14 sacks, 30 ½ tackles for loss and a school record 9 forced fumbles.

Conte was selected 93rd overall after playing in 50 games at Cal and making 17 starts, 12 at safety and five at cornerback. As a senior, he started all 12 games at safety and was a first-team all-Pac 10 pick.

#376; Bob LeGere will have more from Bears training camp later today. Follow his Bears reports via Twitter@BobLeGere and check out our Bear Essentials blog at dailyherald.com.