Bears Add Marion Barber and Amobi Okoye
The Bears continued dumpster diving, adding free agent retreads former Cowboy RB Marion Barber III and former Texans DT Amobi Okoye.
Barber was let go in a cash cutting move by the Cowboys. The Bears must believe that there’s something left in the tank for the hard angry runner, inking him to a 2-year, $5 million dollar deal.
I think Barber could be the Bears answer to their short yardage problems that have plagued them for years. I thought they drafted Harvey Unga for that in the supplemental draft last year, but maybe this casts doubt on his status.
Another possibility is that this spells the end for another member of the 2010 Free Agent class, Chester Taylor. Taylor was a big disappointment last year after signing a big money deal last year. With the signing of Barber, his days could be numbered with the Bears.
Okoye signed a 1-year deal to compete for a spot in the DT rotation. He was a top 10 pick of the Houston Texans out of Louiville and the youngest player to be drafted in the first round. He is excited to join the Bears:
"“It feels good,” Okoye said. “I’ve been locked out for awhile and now I’m going to get a chance to put a helmet on and play some football.”Okoye said a number of teams expressed interest in him, but the Bears were the most agressive.“You looked at all of the options and they made the most sense,” Okoye said. “They wanted me.“(Defensive coordinator) Rod Marinelli was looking foward to me coming out there, (head coach) Lovie smith and most importantly the administration wanted me to come there.”"
Okoye’s signing could spell the end for another Bear, Marcus Harrison. Harrison showed up to camp 11 pounds overweight and failed his physical. He’s a third round pick that has never lived up to any expectations.
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