Thread: Bears Try Out 6 FA's Including Two Safeties...................

Bears studying free agent pool

2 safeties and 3 defensive lineman have worked out for team this week


By Brad Biggs and Vaughn McClure, Tribune reporters 10:01 p.m. CDT, October 26, 2011


In a slow week with just two practices the Bears are watching available free agents.

An NFL source said the team has put six players through tryouts at Halas Hall, a group including two safeties and three veteran defensive linemen.

In for a close look at Halas Hall was safety Darcel McBath, a Broncos second-round draft pick in 2009, and fellow safety Tom Nelson, a Hersey product out of Illinois State who spent the last two seasons with the Bengals. The Bears have struggled at safety but there is no indication the team will sign either player.

McBath was one of the Broncos' final cuts in September and he has been on the tryout circuit, recently working out for the Cowboys, Texans and Raiders.

Three veteran defensive linemen also got a look, Chauncey Davis, Keyunta Dawson and Jovan Haye. Davis is a veteran who spent the previous six seasons with the Falcons. Dawson previously played for the Colts. Haye has been with four teams since 2005 and spent the previous two seasons with the Titans. It could be the Bears want to stay up to date with available players for their emergency list.

The Bears also looked at Reggie Stephens, a center from Iowa State who made a pre-draft visit to Halas Hall in 2010. He was a seventh-round pick by the Bengals last year.

Crunch time: Quarterback Jay Cutler didn't express any panic when talking about what the 4-3 Bears need to accomplish after the off week as they continue to trail the Packers (7-0) and Lions (5-2) in the NFC North.

"There is so much football to be played in the second half,'' Cutler said. "November and December is when you really kind of come together and when playoff teams are made. We feel good about what we're doing."

In comparison: Offensive coordinator Mike Martz was asked to compare running back Matt Forte to one of his former players, Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk.

"They're different guys,'' Martz said, "but they certainly do the same kinds of things. The intelligence. The football IQ is off the charts with Matt. You can tell him in the classroom and he has it. There are just so many things you can do with him. His speed is really unusual. Getting him into the perimeter has become a priority. He has become a terrific inside runner too. There really isn't anything that he can't do very well.''

Forte leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,091 yards and ranks third in the league in rushing with 672 yards. He leads all running backs with 419 receiving yards.

Extra points: Linebacker Lance Briggs was named NFC defensive player of the week for his performance in Sunday's victory over the Bucs in London. Briggs had 10 tackles, a tackle for a loss and an interception in the Bears' 24-18 win. Briggs leads the team with 71 tackles. "I'm grateful,'' Briggs said of the honor. … Cutler on whether there's a better all-around back in the league than Forte: "No, not even close. What he can do first, second and third down in the passing game and the running game, inside and outside. If we lose him, we have a lot of issues." … The Bears released defensive end Jake Laptad from the practice squad.

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs

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