Bears name Lucas director of player personnel

While new Bears head coach John Fox goes about the business of putting a staff together, new general manager Ryan Pace began putting his scouting department together Sunday with the hiring of Josh Lucas as the team's director of player personnel.

Lucas spent 10 seasons in the New Orleans Saints' personnel department, where Pace spent 13 seasons before he was hired by the Bears to replace fired Phil Emery on Jan. 8. With the Bears, Lucas will have the same title as Pace held in his final two seasons in New Orleans, which means he will oversee the pro and college scouting departments.

Lucas, a Harvard graduate, played safety for the Crimson for two years before shoulder injuries ended his career. He started with the Saints as a scouting assistant, where he evaluated free agents, tracked player movement and assisted in draft preparation for two years. The Canton, Ohio native moved up to area scout (Southwest region) for five years and then to southern regional scout.

Before he joined the Saints, Lucas spent three years with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Last week the Bears parted ways with director of pro personnel Kevin Turks, who had been with the team for 13 years.

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