The Bears have traded 26-year old safety Kevin Payne to the Rams for a 7th round pick in 2011 if he makes the Rams’ roster (which he almost certainly will).  Payne played in 13 games for the Bears last season and he had 46 tackles and 5 passes defensed.  Payne played in 32 games in his three years with the Bears and he had 136 tackles, defensed 12 passes, he had 1 sack and 4 interceptions (147 return yards).  The Bears probably sold low on Payne but they felt they didn’t need him around anymore with Chris Harris and rookie Major Wright in the fold for 2010.

The Bears have acquired 27-year old strong safety Chris Harris from the Carolina Panthers for 25-year old linebacker Jamar Williams.  Harris played in 13 games for the Panthers last season and he had 70 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, he forced 2 fumbles, defensed 3 passes and he had 1 interception.  Harris has now played in 69 games in his NFL career and he has 338 tackles, 27 passes defensed, he has 1 sack, 12 forced fumbles and he has 10 interceptions.  Harris returns to the Bears who he played for in 2005 and 2006.  In those two years with the Bears, Harris played in 25 games in which he had 112 tackles, he defensed 13 passes, had 1 sack and 5 interceptions.  The Bears are glad to have Harris back and he will likely start for them in 2010.  Jamar Williams played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he had 43 tackles, 1 forced fumble and he defensed 3 passes.  In four years with the Bears, Williams played in 51 games in which he had 89 tackles, 6 passes defensed, he had 1 sack and he forced 1 fumble.  I love this move for the Bears as Harris will bring hard hitting back to the secondary.

The Bears had to wait a long time before getting involved in the NFL Draft before selecting safety Major Wright out of Florida with the 75th overall pick (3rd round) of the NFL Draft.  Wright is 6′0″, 205 pounds but he’s a tad slow running a 4.55 40.  That means he will probably be a strong safety in the pros but he is great on run support so he could excel there.  Wright played in 14 games (12 starts) for the Gators last season and he had 32 tackles, broke up 2 passes and he had 3 interceptions.  Wright played in 41 games (33 starts) in his three years with Florida in which he had 165 tackles, broke up 10 passes, he had 8 interceptions, forced 4 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  This was a solid first pick for the Bears.

The Bears are still paying for Jay Cutler this season and the result is that they don’t pick until #75 (third round) overall.  The Bears only have 5 total picks so they are hoping that some good players slide to them.  The Bears have needs at OT, FS and CB heading into the draft.  They will likely be targeting OT Selvish Capers, OT Jared Veldheer, CB Jerome Murphy, CB Amari Spievey, CB Brandon Ghee and S T.J. Ward with their first pick of the draft.

PROJECTED FIRST PICK OF THE DRAFT:  OT, Jared Veldheer, Hillsdale (Michigan) 

The Bears have thrown some cash around this off-season to improve the team for 2010.  It all starts with DE Julius Peppers who is one of the best defensive players in the NFL.  He is a elite pass rusher which the Bears have not had in a long time.  He also helps out on special teams as he has a knack for blocking kicks.  The Bears also signed CB Tim Jennings as a free agent and they will give him a chance to compete for a starting job in training camp.  Offensively the Bears inked RB Chester Taylor, TE Brandon Manumaleuna and FB Eddie Williams in free agency.  Taylor will push Forte for his starting job in training camp and Manumaleuna will be like having an extra tackle on the end of the O-Line which will help the running game.  Overall, the Bears are a better team right now than the one that ended the 2009 season.