Bears release DE Alex Brown after 8 seasons
The release of starting defensive end Alex Brown to save $5 million after giving defensive end Julius Peppers a $91 million contract less than a month ago doesn't seem to make much sense, but that's what the Bears did Thursday.
Brown started all 16 games in six of the last seven seasons and, after sitting out his first game as a rookie in 2002, never missed another. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound Brown is fourth in franchise history with 43½ sacks, trailing only Richard Dent, Steve McMichael and Dan Hampton.
On the same day they signed Peppers, who will make $20 million this season, the Bears awarded a $15 million, five-year contract to Brandon Manumaleuna, a blocking tight end, who will make more than $6 million this season. But they didn't have $5 million to keep Brown, a proven two-way player who combined solid run defense with good pass-rush pressure.
Now the Bears have to hope that some combination of Mark Anderson, Israel Idonije and Henry Melton can do for them what Brown did by himself. They are also losing Brown's positive presence in the locker room as a leader.
His career also included 483 tackles, 55 tackles for losses, 5 interceptions, 16 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries and 3 blocked kicks.
Brown has taken the high road ever since the Bears announced their plans to trade him or cut him.
"I am extremely grateful for my time as a Chicago Bear and I wish the Bears the best," he wrote on his Twitter account. "I am glad that they gave me an opportunity to realize a dream I had as a child. I appreciate the fans, but as we all know, this is the nature of the business. Bear down!"
While Peppers makes the Bears better defensively, the loss of Brown makes them worse. That two-steps-forward-one-step-back philosophy doesn't bode well for a team trying to make the playoffs after a three-year drought.
The jobs of everyone on the coaching staff and many in the front office hang in the balance this year, and another season without a playoff appearance will result in significant changes throughout Halas Hall by 2011. The Bears have defensive linemen who possess potential, but none is a proven producer like Brown.
Anderson showed occasional glimpses last season of the 12-sack talent he flashed as a rookie in 2006, but he finished 2009 with 3½ sacks and has just 9 1/2 sacks since his rookie year of 2006.
Idonije has been a valuable backup at tackle and end for his six years, but he has never been considered a starting-caliber player, and he has never had more than 3½ sacks in any season.
If the Bears believed there was any chance of Melton contributing last year, they wouldn't have parked the fourth-round pick on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
Last year's third-round pick, Jarron Gilbert, could also be in the mix at defensive end, although he probably figures more prominently at tackle. He was on the 53-man roster for all 17 weeks last season, but made forgettable appearances in just four games.