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McPhee a big boost to Bears' pass rush

The Bears are not wasting any time addressing their biggest off-season need - an improved pass rush.

In the first major acquisition of general manager Ryan Pace's regime, the Bears reportedly have reached an agreement with former Baltimore Ravens edge rusher Pernell McPhee. The deal is believed to be worth $40 million over five years with $16 million guaranteed, according to the Baltimore Sun, although it cannot be officially announced or completed until the start of the new league year at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

The 6-foot-3, 280-pound McPhee is an ideal fit for the 3-4 defense that the Bears will play under new coordinator Vic Fangio. McPhee showed off his pass-rush skills last season, accumulating 7 ½ sacks even though he did not start a game. He also had 29 quarterback hits, according to STATS. According to Pro Football Focus, McPhee was second among all 3-4 outside linebackers in pass-rushing productivity.

McPhee, seen primarily as an outside linebacker, has the size and strength to play defensive end as well and occasionally lined up at tackle in some nickel alignments.

The Bears are also paying for future production from McPhee, originally a fifth-round draft pick out of Mississippi State, who is just 26. He had 6 sacks as a rookie in 2011 but a total of just 3 ½ sacks the following two years.

McPhee played 50 percent of the Ravens' snaps last season but is expected to have an expanded role with the Bears.

The Bears were 17th in sack percentage last season with 39, and 10 of them came from Willie Young, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in late December and is not expected to be 100 percent before the start of the regular season. Young is also expected to move from defensive end to outside linebacker as the Bears transition from their a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 scheme.

Even though a healthy Young would seem to have the athleticism, agility and speed to transition to linebacker, he has no experience playing that position at the NFL level. Neither does Bears defensive end Jared Allen, who will be asked to make the same switch. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound Allen has always been a D-end, and he slumped to 5 ½ sacks last season after hitting double digits in the seven previous seasons.

Lamarr Houston was the Bears' starting left end for the first eight games last season until he suffered a torn ACL celebrating his only sack of the season. His skill set does not appear to transition to linebacker. Houston was listed at 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds last season, although he played at around 280.

Tackle, secondary needs:

Next on the Bears' free agency agenda could be adding a veteran nose tackle to anchor the defensive line and help in the secondary.

Terrance Knighton would be an ideal fit at nose in the Bears' 3-4 because of his ability to stuff the run, absorb blockers and push the pocket. The 6-foot-3, 330-pound Knighton is a six-year veteran with 81 starts but is just 28 years old. He started all 32 games for John Fox's Denver Broncos the last two seasons after four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Bears are one of several teams that have shown interest in Green Bay Packers nickel cornerback Davon House, who has started 14 games in four seasons since he was a fourth-round draft pick out of New Mexico State. The 25-year-old House has played mostly in nickel situations, covering the slot receiver but, at 6-foot and 195 pounds, he has the size to play outside.

• Follow Bob's Bears and NFL reports on Twitter@BobLeGere.

Former Baltimore Raven Pernell McPhee (90) has reportedly agreed to a five-year offer with the Chicago Bears. The 26-year-old linebacker had 7.5 sacks last season. Associated Press
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