Bears Add Former Pro Bowl Guard Andre Gurode, Cut Okoye

January 30, 2011; Honolulu, HI, USA; NFC center Andre Gurode of the Dallas Cowboys (65) blocks NFC quarterback Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons (right) during the third quarter of the 2011 Pro Bowl against the AFC at Aloha Stadium. The NFC defeated the AFC 55-41. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The Bears made some moves on Tuesday to bolster their offensive line after losing Lance Louis for the season with a torn ACL.  They signed 5 time Pro Bowl guard/center Andre Gurode while releasing DT Amobi Okoye to make room.

Gurode spent most of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, where he earned Pro Bowl honors from 2006 – 2010 before he was cut by the Cowboys for salary cap reasons.  He signed a 1-year deal in 2011 with the Baltimore Ravens.  He had a tryout with the Lions earlier this season but didn’t get a deal, so he was on the street.

It’s unclear how much is left in the tank for the 34 year old guard, but his experience and Pro Bowl history make him an interesting prospect.  It’s doubtful that he would start this week against the Seahawks, but he would certainly serve as valuable depth for the IR’ed Louis and the recovering Chris Spencer, who also left the game with an injury.

Gurode might be most known for being the victim of an Albert Haynesworth stomping:

For Amobi Okoye, this continues an odd season.  After a steady effort for the Bears last season, he opted to go to Tampa Bay in the offseason but some injury issues led to a less than affable split when the Bears scooped him up.  He came in and had a nice initial impact as a rotation player on the Bears’ D-line before finding his way into Lovie Smith’s doghouse.  The emergence of Nate Collins meant a few games of being inactive for Okoye, making him expendable.

The Bears still have one open roster spot on the 53-man roster with Louis moving to IR and Okoye being let go.  It’ll be interesting to see if they make another move.  They had former Seahawk first round linebacker Aaron Curry in for a tryout and Jason Babin is also on the street after the Eagles released him.

Of note, the Bears also terminated the contracts of practice squad players WR Raymond Radway and G Chris Riley and signed WR Dale Moss (no relation to Randy by my account) and G Derek Dennis.