Free agent LB's still available as of today.

If for some reason we do not re-sign Urlacher, would any of these MLB's be decent and worth a look?

Karlos Dansby
D.J. Williams
Tim Dobbins
Brad Jones
Bart Scott
Bradie James
Larry Grant
Takeo Spikes
Keith Brooking
Chase Blackburn
Ernie Sims
E.J. Henderson
Paris Lenon
Rob Francois
Mike Peterson
Channing Crowder
Brandon Siler
Barrett Ruud
Tavares Gooden

Here are the remaining FA OLB's still available:

Daryl Smith
Nick Barnett
Thomas Howard
Leroy Hill
Justin Durant
Michael Boley
Gerald McRath
James Anderson
Will Witherspoon
Scott Fujita
Akeem Jordan
Clint Session
Quincy Black
Aaron Curry
Rocky McIntosh
Brandon Johnson
Scott Shanle
Mario Haggan
Ramon Humber
Gary Guyton
Kirk Morrison
Demorrio Williams
Justin Cole

DJ and Ruud. If Urlacher is the Peyton Manning of defense, Ruud would be somewhere between Trent Dilfer and Ken O'Donnell. We could deal with that on this defense. DJ is a headcase, but would bolster teh siht out of our LB corp

Karlos Dansby might be too expensive for us. I know he was franchise tagged a few years ago. But if for some reason he was affordable, he may give us excellent play for a few years, until we can draft somebody. He's a big guy too. 6'4" and 250 pounds with a 4.5 in the 40. He should have at least 3 years left in the tank.

I fully expect Urlacher will be back and he should be. Dollar for dollar he's as good or better than anyone we could sign in FA to "replace" him at MLB. Especially considering his knowledge/command of the D and his ability to mentor along a draftee for a year or two down the road. That been said, Emery must sign a vet FA LB. Not necessarily to play MLB (although it would be ideal if the guy could be a backup option now that Roach is gone) but at least a Hayes-equivalent SLB on the cheap. We will need someone else behind a draftee (say 2nd rounder) besides JTThomas. I'm talking a $1m kind of player not an expensive "splash" signing. Just a competent vet backup caliber LB we can cut loose next year.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Henry Burris

DJRuud would be somewhere between Trent Dilfer and Ken O'Donnell. We could deal with that on this defense.

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What the heck happened to him? I seem to remember him having a couple really good years down in Tampa and then he seemed to drop off the face of the earth.

Malauaga and Sims are off the market

There's plenty of players I would like to add on the cheap from that list. You have your solid-but-not-spectacular vets like Durant, McIntosh and Anderson. You also have your injury upside guys like Gerald McRath and then there's possible 3-4 system misfits to gamble on being better players in the 4-3 like Siler and Dobbins.

There are enough warm bodies out there to think that we could find some depth or a guy to challenge at SLB but I'm still in favor of using a higher pick on a fast LB who plays a 4-3.