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I stole that from a guy on soxtalk. I currently don't even have a subscription. I responded asking what Jennings/Briggs rated out as, would have thought they ranked higher than that.

In either case that's really solid. I was thinking we could get away with paying Bennett a 12M cap hit. Would absolutely have the money for Melton. Biggs had these other tweets.... Brad Biggs ‏@BradBiggs 56m So Lamarr Houston will total $9 million in Year 1 with #Bears Brad Biggs ‏@BradBiggs 57m Houston has base salaries in 2015, 2016, 2017 of $5.95 million and climbs to $7.95 million in 2018. Workout bonus of $50K each season. Brad Biggs ‏@BradBiggs 54m The guarantee for the Lamarr Houston contract, by the way, $14.9 million or $15 million as long as he shows up for offseason workout program Not sure if that really helps you any.

I'd be shocked if they took a LB early honestly. Maybe 4th round. If Melton's back I'd think about trading down unless Gilbert is there. Either trade back a few spots and grab Ealy or trade all the way back with SF and try and fill DE/CB/S with the first 3 picks (all 3 would be in the first 2 rounds if they trade with SF). Anyone care to take a hack at what Houstons cap hit would be this year??? here's some specs..... Brad Biggs ‏@BradBiggs 10m More details on Lamarr Houston contract w/ #Bears $4.95 million signing bonus, $3 mil roster bonus, $1 mil base salary, $50K workout in '14. Still don't know what that all means.

Fun fact from the pff guy...... Mundy's +0.2 rating on PFF would have made him our best defensive player last year

This. Though he did seemingly have a good year in 2011 when he started 7 games....But ya, pretty much taking over the Costanzo role,

Ya, he's a depth move, who could potentially surprise...been stuck behind some good safeties.

I'm not seeing it, but a poster on soxtalk said the deal is on 15M guaranteed....I'm most interested in the cap hit though.

Perhaps just a coincidence but he was a college teammate of Meltons.....Could Henry be next???

eh, he's wasn't that great of a fit when forced to play DE. Think he'll go somewhere to play OLB again

Supposedly it's a done deal... Dane Noble ‏@WindyCGridiron 22s DJ Williams didn't initially sign 1-year offer from #Bears. A day later, he does. Others now reporting it as well.

I certainly don't hate it....Bears were awful against the run and Houston certainly helps! Even at 7M, which possibly isn't the cap number, that's a fair deal....Time to give Pep the boot!

Ya, I want a pass rusher as well, and Houston isn't really that guy. He does add an element that this team could use though and that's help against the run. It wouldn't be the worst move in the world....But yea, I'd put a higher priority on the other DE than I would have if thy got Bennett. I think it's possible for Houston/Allen if that's the way they wanna go. I figure Houston gets 7 and Allen gets 4. I thought 12M was possible for just Bennett.

This tweet wraps it up nicely ProFootballTalk ‏@ProFootballTalk 53m Reports of premature deals highlight goofy nature of NFL rules. It's impossible to negotiate without potentially reaching a consensus. ...as for the deal, like I said in another thread, it's a good deal if you compare it to the Griffen deal, and a bit of an overpay if you look at the Bennett deal. Houston probably gets around the same deal.

You're asking an awful lot out of a guy who's only been a OLB for 2 years (was an offensive player his first 2 years in college) to move inside to play MLB. I envision when looking a lot like Bostic with the angles and such, plus he'll probably be bad in coverage. Don't think you're getting all those guys in FA without releasing Pep......Who is a turd anyway

Turds? Yu're such an eloquent human being. BTW Johnson reportedly getting 5/43.75 from Tampa. That's 8.75 a year. When you look at the Griffen deal that looks fair, but then you look at the Bennett deal and it doesn't. At this point idk what to expect Houston to get, I'd throw him 8M though honestly.

Michael Bennett was not overpaid. Sorry just had to throw that out there after reading your last 2 posts. But ya, Houston should go a long way in helping the run defense. Not sure about adding Allen and Wootton though, probably looking at another 6M right there. I'd say grab Wootton, a mid round DE, and let them all compete with Lane, Scott, Bass, Washington, and Ozouwgo. One of those guys is bound to emerge.

There were reports that he at least looked like he was playing at 275 last year. He's said to be "very light on his feet" but ya he's kinda more in the form of a Red Bryant type DE but with a better ability to rush the passer. Certainly not my top choice but he'd make an impact in the run game at least. Here's a good write up on him from PFF. Their second-round pick from 2010, Houston has never been a household name outside of Oakland. Defensive ends are sadly still defined by their sack totals, and Houston’s 19 QB takedowns in four seasons are nothing to write home about. But in looking at the tape we’ve found that there are few edge defenders who stop the run as well as he does. For the third straight season, Houston finished with one of the five best run defense grades at his position. His 40 run stops led all defensive ends; the only lineman with more was the great J.J. Watt. Houston’s 10.3 Run Stop Percentage was also the highest of any 4-3 defensive end with 200 run snaps, showing he was as efficient as he was productive. Nothing speaks to his impact on the game more than the fact that Oakland’s opponents averaged 3.2 yards per carry when they ran in his direction (off left end or left tackle) versus 4.2 per carry when they away from him. This sort of play is typical for Houston, as he’s never finished a season with a run defense grade lower than +7.2. He has a team-high 158 defensive stops since he joined the Raiders, and his 124 run stops since 2010 are 20 more than any other edge defender: The flip side of all of this, of course, is that Houston has never been an elite pass rusher, grading a career -1.6 in that category. However, he’s far from a liability on passing plays. His 63 quarterback pressures this season were still 12th-most of any 4-3 defensive end, and one more than sack leader Robert Mathis. You may remember Houston’s Week 3 sack-fumble of Peyton Manning on Monday Night Football, where he blew right past left tackle Chris Clark. However, the reality is that Houston isn’t much of a speed rusher, instead typically getting into the backfield with the same powerful inside techniques that he uses to stop the run. He may not be your prototypical pass rusher, but Houston still gets his fair share of pressure. Houston hasn’t earned the accolades of the NFL’s best pass rushers, but his dominance against the run is no less important. And given the oversized importance that is still placed on sacks, his price tag won’t be too high. After years of overpaying players who didn’t deserve it, the Raiders now have the chance to lock up their best defender at a value. They should make it a priority to do so. ----you might see that 63 pressures number and think "That's only 3 less than Bennett who you've been hyping as a great pass rusher", but don't be fooled, Houston played 378 more snaps than Bennett did.

In possibly related news, Bucs are trying to trade Revis and will cut him if they can't. Could be making that move with thoughts of signing Tillman.

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 30m Source: #Bears are now targeting #Raiders star defensive end Lamarr Houston after missing out on Michael Bennett. They are pushing hard No surprise here. one thing we know for sure is the Bears want the best DE they can get, which is obviously the way to go.

I guess if some team thinks he's worth it they might not wanna get in a "bidding war" for him.

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Nor was I, wonder what changed in the last week or so though. *Sarcasm* maybe the Bears know their D won't be that good so they wanna make the O even better =p

Yup, I've seen the same tweets about a few other players who then got cut.

Brad Biggs ‏@BradBiggs 1m Release of Michael Bush clears $2.85 million in cash savings. Bears news is flying around everywhere right now. Title edit for your viewing pleasure.

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter 5m Bears calling around the league, seeing if they can find a trade partner for DE Julius Peppers, per sources. Trade unlikely... C'mon Lovie!