Chicago Bears add veteran guard Sitton

The Bears agreed late Sunday night with three-time Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton on a three-year deal for $21.75 million that includes $10 million guaranteed.

The addition of Sitton, who was released by the Packers on Saturday, dramatically improves a Bears offensive line that was paper thin and the weakest area of the offense.

Sitton recently turned 30, but he has missed just two games since moving into the Packers' starting lineup in 2009 and hasn't missed any games in the past four years. He has dealt with back issues recently, but was voted to the Pro Bowl in each of the previous two seasons.

The Bears will plug Sitton in at left guard for rookie second-round pick Cody Whitehair, who has been working with the first team since the start of training camp. Whitehair is expected to challenge veteran Ted Larsen at center. Larsen had gotten most of his training camp snaps at guard until Hroniss Grasu, originally the starting center, suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through camp.

The Packers released Sitton in the final cut-down to save the $6.8 million he was due in the final year of his contract.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson said the move "was done with a focus on what is best for the team and the growth of the offensive line."

The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Sitton was originally the Packers' fourth-round draft choice in 2008 out of Central Florida. He was ranked as the fifth best guard in the NFL Last year by Pro Football Focus.

With Sitton on the left and three-time Pro Bowler Kyle Long on the right, the Bears will have the priciest guard tandem in the NFL, considering Long's recent four-year, $40 million extension that includes $30 million guaranteed, the most for any guard in the league.

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