Bears Grab Walker

This offseason has just completely flipped for the Bears. Things looked horrible at first after the Thomas Jones trade, the Briggs contract debacle, and everything that happened with Tank Johnson. But after all those things got resolved, the Bears started to get things back together. Resigning their cornerbacks was huge, as was getting Briggs to report to training camp on time. General Manager Jerry Angelo continued his good work yesterday, picking up Darwin Walker from the Bills.

Walker fills the Bears' biggest whole, that of a second defensive tackle. That was Tank’s job before he got cut, and without a move for Walker, the Bears would be relying on Dusty Dvoracek (who didn’t play last year) and newly acquired free agent Anthony Adams. Walker can fill in immediately, and fits the Bears scheme perfectly. Like Tank, he’s a pass rusher, ranking fourth among defensive tackles in sacks last season with six. This move definitely improves a Bears defense that struggled towards the end of last season when they didn’t have Tommie Harris. If Harris misses anytime again this season, Walker’s presence will help fill the void. And the five man wrecking crew of Walker, Alex Brow, Adawale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson, and Tommie Harris should be the best passing rushing defensive line in the NFL.

My only concern about Walker is his contract which is the reason the Bills traded him in the first place.

(Walker) was scheduled to make $1.3 million this year and $1.4 million next season after signing a seven-year extension with the Eagles early in his career. Walker more than outplayed that contract, producing 26½ sacks over the last five seasons, the fourth-highest total at his position. Walker started negotiating a new deal with the Eagles in February, but they traded him to Buffalo because they are loaded at the position and didn't want to set a precedent by renegotiating mid-deal. It's an interesting cautionary tale for the Bears, who built their team by using the Philadelphia method of identifying young players and signing them to long-term contracts.

Really the only question is whether or not Walker will be around past this year. That is not that big of an issue, however, because the Bears are focused on winning a title this season, and Walker might them do that.