Thread: Urlacher says Bears must re-sign Kreutz, Adam

Originally Posted by thekmann

Yeah I know it was written before the draft but they still need another interior DL for the rotation because I doubt Harrison makes the team. Jenkins would be an interesting pick up for the right price as you said he can play both the DT and DE positions and the fact that they steal a top guy who has given us fits from the Packers always a plus. I would not be surprised if they at least took a look at Jenkins or Mebane. I'm sure their first pursuit will be an OG followed by possibly a WR if the money is right and then maybe they look at a DL or CB. Don't know how much money they will have left to spend once they sign their own and of course that will determine who they go after in FA. They may just wait for roster cuts for a DL as many teams will be in cap hell like the JETS who right now are extended so far they have NO room right now to even make an offer to either Holmes or Edwards until they offload or restructure a lot of contracts. So the Bears may just make a hard push for OG and WR in the opening round of FA and then just bide their time on the waiver wire for a DL or CB they like to pop up.

That's more of the way I'm thinking it will go kmann. An OG is a total neccessity just like an OT and a DT were in the draft and I can't help but think they'll look for a WR to upgrade what we have. They can't keep ignoring Cutler's requests for a bigger target forever and it would seem that there will be a few prospects for them to go after. Dline and a CB are guys to look at but not as big a priority.

We do need another Dlineman and Jenkins would be a nice pick up for a couple of reasons. The major deal there is what he's looking for in the way of a contract. Because he's a good inside pass rusher he'll be somewhat in demand despite his injury history and that may make him pricier than we'll want to go. Hard to say what they'll do at this point but we do know how much Lovie depends on that pass rush so I can't see then going into the season with only Pep, Izzy and Wootton at DE.

Interesting but I can't see owners voluntarily agreeing to go without tags. Just as they have to put a limit on how much they'll pay out to unproven rookies there has to be some kind of upper limit somewhere. You can't have guys like Manning or Brees taking up 20% of the cap or more with ridiculously high dollar deals.

NFL teams can't collude to hold the line on salaries by agreeing not to pursue guys like that from other teams. They risk an anti-trust suit if they do. The onlly way to propect themselves against losing a face of the franchise guy before they have an opportunity to replace him is through a tag.

If I could get Cullen Jenkins as the fourth DE rotating with Wootten for Peppers and Izzy, and I could get him at a reasonable price, I'd cream in my shorts. I mean really, he might stay healthy if he's not asked to play every snap. The fact that the Packers don't want him anymore shows to me that his price tag might drop some, especially since he has a long and extensive history with injury. He won't be uber cheap, but he might be reasonably priced.

Nice thought but I still don't think he's high on the list for FA. Despite his injury history I still think some team will pay too much for his pass rushing talent. Those guys are always in demand which is why we still need one despite the years that Pep and Izzy had last season.

My guess is that we'll find another cheaper alternative. Either someone off another teams waivers or practice squad or even one of the guys we bring to camp. With the $$$ we have tied up in Pep I just can't see us bringing in a high dollar guy just to bolster the pass rush. They have to be careful not to upset the salary scale so that a part time guys isn't making far above what Izzy is getting.

As long as Marinelli is coaching the defense I have some confidence that we can find and develop pass rushers from lower draft picks and FA's.