To the left, an intriguing look into how Bears GM Jerry Angelo is spending his offseason. Bigger picture here.

Watching the Cleveland Browns sign John St. Clair for twice as much money as was being offered by the Bears to retain him — St. Clair gets 3yr/9 mil, the Bears offered 3 yr/4.5 mil — reemphasizes what we already knew: Jerry Angelo is out of touch with the NFL.

For all his spiel about marketplace, and value, and sobriety, Angelo is unconsciously admitting that he knows jack about relative worth. Last year, he misplayed the Bernard Berrian situation as well, thinking Berrian was worth 5-years, $25 million, when, in fact, he was worth 6-years, $42 million. You know how I know? Because that’s what he got from the Vikings. (more…)

Chicago Sun-Times reporter Brad Biggs expects OT John St. Clair to re-sign with the Bears by Friday. St. Clair is all but guaranteed the starting right tackle spot and apparently he’s the only offensive lineman the Bears were considering bringing in anyway.

The good news is that the Bears will have a somewhat decent veteran starter at the opposite end of a somewhat decent (might as well be) rookie starter. The bad news is if the Bears aren’t targeting anyone else, and St. Clair signs elsewhere, the Bears will likely need to use their No. 18 pick in the draft on someone like Arizona’s Eben Britton.

Wait. What was the good news again?

The Bears made their first activity in free agency this morning, signing Panthers T Frank Omiyale to a four-year, $14 million deal.

Omiyale is a young guy at 26, with four years of NFL experience under his belt, two with Carolina, two with Atlanta. But the 2005 fifth-round draft pick out of Tennessee Tech has started only one game — last year when T Jordan Gross went down — and played in just 10 during his short NFL career.

At 6’4-310 lbs., Omiyale is projected to play right tackle and possibly compete with John St. Clair for the starting job.

When the Bears signed tackle John St. Clair in 2006, it was to add competition and depth to a then solid offensive line. John Tait and Fred Miller were the aging, but stellar, bookends and St. Clair was brought in to be, along with Terrence Metcalf, an insurance policy.

Boy, how times have changed. Now, Miller is gone, Tait just retired, and the Bears currently have only last year’s first-round draft pick Chris Williams and Cody Balogh — who? — available to play tackle.

Re-signing St. Clair is a must and with the necessity comes added extra dollar value for the nine-year veteran. Miami T Vernon Carey just inked a six-year deal worth $42 million, and if that is any indication, the Bears will have to pull together something around the $4-5 million per year mark — the supposed low-side, going rate for starting tackles –to bring St. Clair back.

Do you think Jerry Angelo is willing to make a six-year, $33 million offer for St. Clair? Then why aren’t they getting close yet?! By all accounts, the Bears haven’t made any significant movement in talks with St. Clair although he’s made it clear he would like to come back.

First-round pick T Chris Williams feels he is ready to play, just 12 weeks removed from surgery to repair a herniated disc. The only problem is John St. Clair is already the team’s left tackle and with him on the line, pass protection has been superb.

If you remember correctly, back in April, Williams was touted to be the team’s franchise left tackle who could start right away. I don’t think GM Jerry Angelo and the boys envisioned right away might have meant at least eight games into the season.

That’s not to say Williams will start, or even be considered to, Sunday versus Detroit. Still, if the Bears brass are taking votes as to when he should play, I’d cast mine for 2009. (more…)