[bears9]

INDIANAPOLIS – The Bears’ plan to upgrade their offense this offseason figures to start up front, where replacing left guard Ruben Brown and right tackle Fred Miller will be a top priority.

“Whenever you take two starting players out of the rotation, that is cause for concern,” coach Lovie Smith said at the NFL Combine.

“We feel like we have a plan to try to combat that a little bit, but we’ve lost two good football players.”


Brown, 36, and Miller, 35, were the Bears’ two oldest players in 2007. About the only way the offensive line won’t get younger is if James “Big Cat” Williams is somehow coaxed out of retirement.
The Bears will look for replacements in free agency and the draft, though the draft figures to offer far more alternatives. Kevin Colbert, Pittsburgh Steelers director of football operations, said at the Combine that the tackle position is the best group he’s seen in 24 years of scouting.

“The majority of them can play on the left side or play both sides,” Colbert said. “It’s unusual to have that many guys that big and that athletic and that productive.”

Tackles that could be selected in the first round of the draft include USC’s Sam Baker, Boston College’s Gosder Cherilus, Michigan’s Jake Long, Boise State’s Ryan Clady, Pittsburgh’s Jeff Otah and Vanderbilt’s Chris Williams



Retooling their offensive line a top priority for Bears - Chicago Bears