The Chicago Bears have announced that they have signed defensive lineman Amobi Okoye to a 1-year deal worth $700,000. On the day when teams had to cut their rosters down to 53 players, we heard the Bears were on the verge of re-signing Okoye, who was released earlier that day by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of his knee. However, Okoye did pass a physical yesterday and is set to join the Bears. In the corresponding move to clear a spot on the 53-man roster, the Bears have released DL Brian Brice.
The Bears acquired Price from the Buccaneers for a 7th round pick on July 26. Price did look in preseason, but does have a bad injury history. He may have been the odd man out because he suffered an injury in the final preseason game. As you can see, Price did make the initial cut for the 53-man roster, but that didn’t last long. The Bears seem to worry about his past injuries and feel more comfortable with Okoye going forward.
I thought Price would have been the odd man out for Okoye, but thought he would have been placed on injured reserve. To me, that would seem like the most logical move and I hope to see he can stay healthy for next season. Price is a former second round pick and is still only 23 years old. He did have potential coming out of the draft and I do think he has it somewhere in him still.
Don’t forget that the Bears will have to make another move after week 1 because Nate Collins will be suspended. If Adam Podlesh is healthy, I have to imagine Ryan Quigley will be waived.
I see Okoye being inactive week 1, so I wouldn’t look for him on the field.
Buy Chicago Bears Tickets | Buy Chicago Bears Apparel
