Bears have two defensive lineman in their sights
The Bears were scheduled to meet late Friday and into the weekend with two more unrestricted free agents who would help their defensive rebuilding project - lineman Akiem Hicks and inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman.
The 6-foot-5, 324-pound, space-eating, blocker-absorbing Hicks would be a bigger and better replacement for Jarvis Jenkins, who signed a three-year, $6 million deal with the Jets Friday afternoon.
Jenkins started 15 games for the Bears last year after signing a veteran minimum deal for $825,000 in free agency, and he started out impressively. Through the first four games, Jenkins led all Bears linemen with 16 tackles, and his 3 sacks were 1 more than in his previous four seasons combined.
But the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Jenkins added just 16 more tackles and 1 sack in the final 12 games. Still, Jenkins' 634 snaps (61.6 percent of the total 1,010) were 118 more than the Bears' next defensive lineman, rookie tackle Eddie Goldman.
Hicks is not an every-down player. He's primarily a two-down run-stuffer and generally not a factor as a pass rusher.
He was originally the Saints' third-round draft choice out of the University of Regina (Saskatchewan) when Bears GM Ryan Pace was in the New Orleans personnel department. Hicks started 33 games for the Saints, but as part of their defensive housecleaning was traded to the Patriots last Sept. 30 for backup tight end Michael Hoomanawanui.
The 26-year-old Hicks would continue the Bears' trend under Pace of targeting younger free agents who are considered to be ascending players yet to reach their maximum productivity. Hicks also has a visit scheduled with the Detroit Lions later this weekend.
Freeman, who turns 30 in May, spent three seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Saskatchewan Roughriders before joining the Colts in 2012. He either led the Colts in tackles or was second in each of his four seasons, accumulating at least 112 tackles each year and starting 57 games. He also had 3 sacks and 1 interception last year, but his talks in Indy had stalled.
Freeman has also been contacted by the Falcons but had yet to visit Atlanta.
The 6-foot, 240-pound Freeman has similarities to inside linebacker Danny Trevathan, who the Bears signed Wednesday to a four-year $24.5 million contract, and he was rated just a notch below him.
Like the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Trevathan, Freeman is somewhat undersized but considered to be excellent in coverage. He has 4 career interceptions, 2 of which he returned for touchdowns, and 16 pass breakups.
He had even more humble beginnings than the sixth-round pick Trevathan.
Undrafted out of Division-III Mary Hardin-Baylor (Belton, Texas), near his hometown of Waco, Freeman signed with the Tennessee Titans but headed north to the CFL after he was waived in 2008. He was used primarily on special teams in his first season with the Roughriders but has progressed to become one of the NFL's leading tacklers over the past four years.
In his debut with the Colts in 2012, Freeman intercepted a Jay Cutler pass and returned it 4 yards for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, unrestricted free agent inside linebacker Shea McClellin, who was third on the Bears with 96 tackles, met with the Jets. The former first-round draft pick could still return to the Bears for a fifth season.
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