Free Agency Update

Omiyale signing doesn’t close door on St. Clair

Although the Bears hit the ground running in free agency with the signing of OT Frank Omiyale from the Carolina Panthers, they have not given up on their own free agent John St. Clair. Jerry Angelo says he intends to continue to pursue John St. Clair with the intention of having him replace John Tait at right tackle and moving Frank Omiyale inside to guard.

Omiyale could potentially start at either guard position: Josh Beekman is considered undersized and could be better of backing up Olin Kreutz, and coaches are reportedly unhappy with the performance of Roberto Garza.

So instead of his replacement, it appears the Bears are bringing Omiyale in to fill John St. Clair’s old role of super-sub, someone who could start and provides depth at four positions. If the Bears can resign St. Clair the odd man out will likely be Terrence Metcalf, and if not Omiyale will slide in at RT.

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Bears look to Darren Sharper for help at Safety

If you are tired of trying to beat them, why not ask them to join you? That’s seems to be the Bears approach to filling the void left by Mike Brown in the secondary with former Packer and Viking Darren Sharper.

A 12-year veteran and a four time Pro-Bowler, Sharper would provide a major upgrade over the default free safety at the moment, Craig Steltz. Not only would he fill the major leadership role left by Brown, but his career 54 interceptions are an indication of what sort of playmaking he could bring to the position.

While many Bears fans, including myself, would prefer to see the Bears spend the money to bring in a more long-term replacement, Sharper can be an adequate stopgap until a better solution can be found in the draft.

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Bears not closing the book on Kevin Jones

Kevin Jones first season with the Chicago Bears was a bit of a disappointment. After being brought in with the billing of someone who could take the starting job from rookie Matt Forte, he got only 34 carries the entire season with most of those coming in the first five weeks.

But there appears to be strong mutual interest in bringing Jones back for the 2009 season. While he is attracting serious offers from other teams Jones has given the Bears a ringing endorsement:

“I’ve been telling you all along, and you may have thought, ‘This kid is crazy,’ during last year, I want to come back to the Bears. I like the staff; I like all the teammates. If you want an example of what an NFL team should be like, the coaching staff, everything, that’s it. I’d love to be back, but sometimes business gets in the way.”

And that business is probably the main thing that could keep Jones away. In some ways it was a miracle that Jones was able to do anything for the Bears last season considering he was just 8 months removed from ACL surgery. If the Bears gave him a second opportunity there is a good chance they’ll see the back that looked to be on the rise in Detroit.

However, with Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe already in place are the Bears interested in carrying four running backs again? Jerry Angelo has already stated a desire to get Wolfe more playing time, as the former third-round pick is currently considered a bust. But Kevin Jones willingness to play special teams for the Bears down the stretch last year could be a big mark in his favor.