Bears bolster D-Line
The Bears added one "Gaines" and released another one this week.
The Bears cut tight end Michael Gaines on Saturday, which was a day after the team acquired defensive end Gaines Adams from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 2010 second-round pick.
The tight end Gaines appeared in one game for the Bears this season after playing the past five seasons in Carolina, Buffalo and Detroit. He was declared inactive for the past few weeks, and he would have continued to struggle for playing time as the fourth tight end on the depth chart behind Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark and Kellen Davis.
Adams, who was the fourth overall selection in the 2007 NFL draft, has not lived up to the first-round hype. In 37 games, Adams has 13 1/2 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Adams started the first five games of this season for Tampa Bay at right defensive end, where Adewale Ogunleye leads the Bears in sacks. Ogunleye and reserve defensive end Mark Anderson will be free agents after this year, so Adams might serve as a long-term investment even if he does not receive many starts this season.
Adams is expected to be with the Bears on Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons, but it is uncertain whether he will play.
After the trade, the Bears have no selections in the first two rounds of next year's draft. They have proved that they can find talent in later rounds, however, such as fifth-round pick Johnny Knox and sixth-round pick Al Afalava in the 2009 draft.
-Tom Musick
