Props to SB Nation's Chicago Bears blog Windy City Gridiron for directing us to a Scout.com story linking the Bears to Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney. As Indianapolis continues its fire sale, Freeney could be available and the Bears, forever obsessed with pass rushers, are said to be interested.
According to Len Pasquarelli of the Sports Xchange, the Chicago Bears are very interested in making a deal for Freeney.
"If, as indicated by an ESPN report on Friday, the Colts are listening to offers for defensive end Dwight Freeney, word is that the Chicago Bears, who want to find a pass-rush partner for Julius Peppers, will be one of the teams in their ears," Pasquarelli wrote today.
Here's the only problem: Freeney is reportedly unwilling to restructure his current contract, and has a base salary of $14 million next season. The Bears have cap room, reportedly in excess of $20 million, but acquiring Freeney would eat up a lot of it. The Bears are also said to be interested in wide receiver Vincent Jackson and former Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams.
The Bears can't sign everybody, but the names currently being thrown around are relatively exciting. It's a team that, at 7-3 last year, was looking really good before starting quarterback Jay Cutler suffered a season-ending injury.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bears be sure to visit Windy City Gridiron. And drop by SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.
