Chicago Bears sign 5-time Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson
In an effort to upgrade the defensive backfield the Chicago Bears signed five-time Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson to a contract on Monday afternoon.
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Wilson, 34, last played in the 2013 preseason with the New England Patriots but was one of the top safeties in the NFL during his time with the Arizona Cardinals and was a Pro Bowler as recently as 2011. The 6-4, 222-pound strong safety made his five Pro Bowls from 2006-2011 when he was one of the more intimidating hitters in the NFL.
Wilson has 25.5 career sacks and 27 interceptions and started 162 games in his career since the Cardinals took him in the third round out of North Carolina State in the 2001 NFL Draft.
The Bears were thought to be considering taking one of the top safety prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft and with both Calvin Pryor and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on the board with the Bears picking at No. 14 passed on the top two at the position in favor of cornerback Kyle Fuller in the first round.
The Bears didn’t draft a safety until they traded up in the fourth round to take former Minnesota safety Brock Vereen who could be in line to start as a rookie.
With at least one starting job up for grabs after Major Wright left as a free agent to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason and free safety Chris Conte recovering from offseason shoulder surgery it is very likely that Wilson could line up at the strong safety position with Vereen at the free safety spot this season.
The addition of Wilson could be a bonus for the rookie Vereen who can pick the mind of the veteran who was an All-Pro in 2009 and help facilitate his acclimation to the NFL.
Safety has been a bit of a revolving door on the back end of the defense over the better part of the last decade for the Bears, so it looks like there’s a chance that could continue in the 2014 season.
The Bears also signed tight end Jeron Mastrud on Monday.