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 have acquired 26-year old DE Gaines Adams from the Buccaneers for a 2nd round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.  Adams has played in 5 games this season for the Bucs and he has made 10 tackles, defensed 2 passes and he has 1 sack.  He has now played in 37 games in his three year NFL career and he has made 86 tackles, defensed 10 passes, has 13.5 sacks, forced 2 fumbles and he has picked off two passes (one he returned for a TD).  Adams was a very high draft pick just a couple of years ago and the Bears are banking on a change of scenery to revive his career.

The struggling Buffalo Bills (1-4) have failed to utilize the talented and controversial wide-receiver Terrel Owens this year, and now rumors are flying about a possible trade to the Chicago Bears (3-1).  T.O. has not made an impact for the Bills, but he has not really gotten much of a chance.  So far this season he only has 12 catches for 202 yards and one touchdown.  That is a lot of yards per catch (16.8), but only 12 catches is uncharacteristic of T.O.  The Bills have failed to use T.O. the way they wanted to when they brought him in and gave him $6.5 million for one year.

Now the big question is, should the Bears take a chance on him?  I’m not so sure the Bears should, due to all the baggage and controversy T.O. would bring.  Quarterback Jay Cutler said almost nothing when asked about the possible trade, which could be a sign that he wants nothing to do with T.O.  Cutler proved in the off-season with the Broncos that he likes to get things his way, and he is not afraid to speak up when he doesn’t.  T.O. and Cutler could be a recipe for disaster in the locker room, but at the same time they are two very talented players that could do some major damage together.  So, there is a lot of upside to a trade for this caliber of a player.  The Bears are very inexperienced at wide-receiver, but players like Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and Johnny Knox have been stepping up for the Bears.  Right now I’m a little bit up in the air about this possible trade, but since the Bears are playing well and their young receivers are proving themselves, I would have to say no at this point.

The Bears have acquired 25-year old QB Jay Cutler and a fifth round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft for QB Kyle Orton, a first and third round pick in 2009 and a first round pick in 2010.  Cutler immediately becomes the best QB the Bears have had since helmets had facemasks.  Cutler played in all 16 games for the Broncos last season and he completed 384 for 616 passes (62.3%) for 4,526 yards with 25 TD passes and 18 interceptions (86.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 57 times for 200 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs in 2008.  Cutler has now played in 37 games in his three year NFL career and he has completed 762 of 1,220 passes (62.5%) for 9,024 yards with 54 TD passes and 37 interceptions (87.1 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 113 times for 423 yards (3.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Cutler was worth the picks as he is light years better than Kyle Orton.

26-year old Kyle Orton played in 15 games for the Bears last season and he completed 272 of 465 passes (58.5%) for 2,972 yards with 18 TD passes and 12 interceptions (79.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 24 times for 49 yards (2.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs last season.  Orton finished his career with the Bears playing in 33 games in which he completed 505 of 913 passes (55.3%) for 5,319 yards with 30 TD passes and 27 interceptions (71.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 53 times for 92 yards (1.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs with the Bears.