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The Chicago Bears secured one of the top pass rushers on the open market, reaching agreement on a five-year, $35 million contract with former Oakland Raiders defensive end Lamarr Houston, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.


The Bears announced the Houston signing as well as re-signing middle linebacker D.J. Williams to a one-year deal, safety Ryan Mundy to a two-year deal and special teams standout Jordan Senn to a one-year contract.

A disruptive presence who moved to the right side last season in the Raiders' 4-3 base defense, Houston led Oakland with a career-high six sacks, though four came in the season's first seven games.

more at the link

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/ ... cago-bears

Houston appears to be a very solid signing. He is strong against the run and at least weighs in at 300 pounds. Good signing.

Balance-a-Bull wrote:Houston appears to be a very solid signing. He is strong against the run and at least weighs in at 300 pounds. Good signing.

And he's been reliable as far as his health is concerned.

I like it and didn't break the bank necessarily.

Great plan B signing. Still need another DE to pair with him.

I love Houston's versatility, motor, and athleticism. Certainly Houston is a "dog".

Is he a 3-4 or 4-3 guy? Bears still haven't announced what defense they're gonna use.

If we can get Melton and Tillman back I'll be happy. Then the draft will be easy peasy. MLB, Fs, Ss, Cb, Hb, qb.

You don't appreciate the tap water in Chicago until you go somewhere else and try theirs.

Melton can play end in a 3/4 yes? Then you draft a huge guy for the middle to groom. Linebackers should be good for now. Draft a safety and a corner that can play outside of a zone oriented defense and then you got a nice rebuild going on.

fleet wrote:Melton can play end in a 3/4 yes? Then you draft a huge guy for the middle to groom. Linebackers should be good for now. Draft a safety and a corner that can play outside of a zone oriented defense and then you got a nice rebuild going on.

Somebody like Louis Nix huge?

I like this signing... although I wish we would have signed a safety that was a tier or two better than Mundy and the Packer Jennings. I am glad we're not over spending in FA... but with a goal of not being desperate at any position in the draft, having one safety that we could call a decent bona fide starter would be cool.

I don't feel desperate though on the DL or at LB. We could upgrade any spot in the front 7, but we don't have to pass up on better defensive talent to do so. I think we are one decent secondary signing away from saying the same at all positions which would be nice.

Houston sounds like he could be a Phillip Daniels type DE which would be A-OK by me!

Balance-a-Bull wrote:

fleet wrote:Melton can play end in a 3/4 yes? Then you draft a huge guy for the middle to groom. Linebackers should be good for now. Draft a safety and a corner that can play outside of a zone oriented defense and then you got a nice rebuild going on.

Somebody like Louis Nix huge?

sure. That type of size. A massive tackle. We dont even need to run a 3/4 even tho I wish. Remember that short lived wall with Ted Washington and Keith Traylor? Thats my kind of thing baby.

Very good signing, Houston is solid at both aspects and will stablize the end position for a couple years.

With Jared Allen in the fold, does this mean Houston moves to DT?

A front four of Allen, Ratliff, Houston, and Young/some other DE looks to be dominant.

I'm wondering the same thing. Does he go to left end or DT? I'd actually love it if he was a DT and Young got a shot at left end. That would free us up to take a CB or S in round one and two, a RB in round 3 and a DT in round 4. Even better if we could trade down and grab an extra 2nd or 3rd round pick.