The reunions just keep coming.
Earlier today, the Giants reunited with wide reciever Mario Manningham. Now the Chicago Bears reunite with former Lions defensive lineman Israel Idonije, signing him to a one-year contract, via Pro Football Talk.
In his nine-year stint with Chitown, Idonije put up 28.5 sacks, 198 tackles, 272 combined tackles, and six forced fumbles. In his last season with the Bears, he put up 7.5 sacks, 19 tackles, and 29 combined tackles. During his time in Chicago, Idonije had worked his way up the depth chart from a special teams only player, to a starter on the defensive line. He was second on the team in sacks in 2012.
In his only year with Detroit, he played in 15 games and had just 0.5 sacks, 7 tackles, and 11 combined tackles. The Lions expected more out of Idonije, and so he was allowed to hit the free agent market again.
The Bears have also signed Lamarr Houston from the Raiders and Willie Young (also from the Motor City), to add considerable depth to their pass rush this off-season. It’s a good move to to sign Israel Idonije to a one-year deal, because it has the potential to be one of those low risk and high reward scenarios that can really play out for the Bears. Idonije brings versatility as he can line up at both defensive end and defensive tackle.
If all plays out, that could be the case for Chicago, and Idonije’s familiarity with the Bears can only help.
In other Bears news, Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com is reporting that Bears wide reciever Earl Bennett has refused the team’s offer to take a pay cut. Bennett expects that the Bears will release him, saving themselves $2.45 million on the 2014 NFL salary cap.
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(Stats via espn.com. Source via Pro Football Talk.)
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