Bears will know soon enough on free agency
By Bob LeGere
Free agency doesn’t begin until 3 p.m. today, but before the day is over new general manager Phil Emery will have given a good indication of how quickly he intends to close the talent gap between the Bears and the Green Bay Packers.
As in years past, there likely will be a flurry of activity in the opening 24 hours involving big names and big money.
The Bears have enough room under the salary cap to be a major player for premier talents such as Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams and San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, but so do a lot of other teams.
Even if the Bears are outbid for Williams and Jackson, there are other players they can pursue to immediately improve the roster.
Williams can be an impact player, but his sack total has dropped in each of the past four seasons from a career-high 14 in 2007, his second season in the league. He missed 11 games last season with a chest injury, although he had 5 sacks in the five games he played.
Williams is only 27, and he will command a king’s ransom — maybe more than the $84 million over six years the Bears gave defensive end Julius Peppers two years ago.
Although the Bears could afford it, it’s questionable whether they would want to invest so heavily in one position, even though the line is considered the key to their defensive success.
But Williams isn’t the only free-agent defensive end who would upgrade the Bears’ pass rush.
The Atlanta Falcons’ John Abraham will be 34 in May, but he had 9½ sacks last season, and he has had at least that many in four of the past five seasons.
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ 28-year-old Jeremy Mincey was almost nonexistent in his first three seasons but had a career-best 8 sacks last season while forcing 4 fumbles.
If the Bears decide to re-sign their own free-agent defensive end, Israel Idonije, they could bring back Mark Anderson, who had 12 sacks as a Bears rookie in 2006 but quickly flamed out.
He resurrected his career last season with 10 sacks for the New England Patriots but is considered a situational pass rusher, which would complement Idonije, who is stout vs. the run.
At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds Jackson is exactly the kind of big, field-stretching, go-to receiver the Bears crave.
He comes with some character concerns but also with a career average of 17.5 yards per catch. The 29-year-old Jackson has never caught more than 68 passes in a season, but he has more than 1,000 yards in three of the past four years.
Tampa Bay and Washington reportedly are fixated on Jackson, and both have more cap room than the Bears. But neither team can offer Jackson a quarterback as accomplished as Jay Cutler.
Even though three elite wide receivers were franchised — the Patriots’ Wes Welker, Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson and Kansas City’s Dwayne Bowe — a lot of talent remains on the market.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ wicked-fast Mike Wallace is restricted, but giving up a first-round pick as compensation for him could be a worthwhile investment, considering his 2,450 yards and 18 touchdowns on 132 receptions the past two seasons.
Either of the New Orleans Saints’ two UFA wide receivers, Marques Colston and Robert Meachem, would significantly upgrade the Bears at that position.
Colston (6-4, 225) is bigger and much more productive, with at least 70 catches and more than 1,000 yards in five of his six seasons, plus 48 touchdowns. But Meachem is faster, he’s just 27, and he has 20 TDs on his 129 catches the past three seasons.
The Indianapolis Colts’ Reggie Wayne is 33, but he had 75 catches for 960 yards last season, even with Curtis Painter as his quarterback. He went over 1,000 yards the previous seven seasons.
The Dallas Cowboys’ Laurent Robinson, an Illinois State product, was a sleeper until last season, when he caught 54 passes for 858 yards and 11 touchdowns.
ŸThe Bears tendered restricted free-agent running back Kahlil Bell a $1.26 million qualifying offer Monday, which lets them to match any offer Bell gets from another club and retain his services. Bell has until April 20 to receive offers from other teams.
However, because of the low level of the tender, the Bears will not receive any compensation if they choose not to match an offer for Bell, who originally signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA.
In his most productive season last year, the three-year veteran rushed for 337 yards on 79 carries, a 4.3-yard average. He also caught 19 passes for 133 yards, a 7.0-yard average.
Had the Bears tendered Bell at $1.927, the next-highest level, they would be entitled to a second-round pick as compensation if they decline to match another team’s offer.
The third, and highest, RFA tender this year is $2.742 million, and a team losing a player tendered at that level would receive a first-round pick as compensation.
If Bell is retained it’s expected that seven-year veteran running back Marion Barber will not be back.
rlegere@dailyherald.com