Bears Sign Orlando Pace to Protect Their New QB

Former No. 1 pick Orlando Pace will be taking up space on the left side of the Chicago Bears' offesive line in 2009.

Big day for the Bears' offense. Shortly after acquiring disgruntled quarterback Jay Cutler from the Broncos, Chicago came to terms on a new contract with Orlando Pace to protect Cutler's blind side.

Pace, the veteran left tackle who was let go by the Rams last month, apparently gets a three-year contract, and left a bigger offer from the Baltimore Ravens on the table. From Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times:

"The Bears won out over the Baltimore Ravens, who initially pursued him when he was cut loose by the St. Louis Rams, and who had an offer on the table for more money. Pace, it seems, wanted to remain in the Midwest and felt comfortable with his relationship with coach Lovie Smith, who was the defensive coordinator of the Rams for three seasons."

Biggs also says the acquisition of Pace shifts a lot of the Bears offensive line back into position. Chris Williams, Chicago's 2008 draft pick, who had been slated for left tackle, now finds himself in a training-camp battle for the right tackle spot with Kevin Shaffer. Frank Omiyale, who was the right tackle in the Bears' most recent minicamp but is better suited to an interior line spot, will compete with Josh Beekman at left guard.

Assuming he can stay healthy, Pace adds offensive line depth and a veteran presence to a line that needed help. Some speculation had the Bears taking Arizona tackle Eben Britton with the No. 18 pick in this month's draft. That's moot, of course, since that pick now belongs to Denver. They may now be able to pick a tackle in a later round and give him time to develop while Pace plays the position for the next couple of years.

Top Remaining Free Agents

1. Torry Holt, Wide receiver
Who Wants Him?: Holt's recently visited Jacksonville, and with the Jags woefully short on receivers, could be a perfect fit there. Don't rule out Denver's Jay Cutler-less offense as a possible home either.

Greg Trott, Getty Images

2. Chris McAlister, Cornerback
Who Wants Him?: Despite lingering knee issues, McAlister climbed our list for the potential he still has at age 31. Former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan would love to bring McAlister to the Jets.

Gail Burton, AP

3. Byron Leftwich, Quarterback
Who Wants Him?: With interest lower than anticipated, Leftwich may wind up back in Pittsburgh as Big Ben's backup. He could still get a chance to chase a starting spot somewhere like Tampa Bay.

Aaron Harris, AP

4. Derrick Brooks, Linebacker
Who Wants Him?: After 15 seasons in the league, Brooks looks like a future Hall of Famer. He may just retire if he can't find a good situation, but Seattle certainly has a hole after trading Julian Peterson.

Steve Nesius, AP

5. Jason Taylor, Defensive end
Who Wants Him?: There's a long line of teams that are trying to land Taylor, even after he struggled in 2008. The most likely landing spot? It might be New England - the Patriots love resurrecting veteran careers.

Nick Wass, AP

6. Cato June, Linebacker
Who Wants Him?: Despite being a reliable linebacker, June's prospects are hurt by his inability to play outside of a Tampa-2 scheme. Buffalo's had him in for a visit, and would be a nice fit.

Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images

7. Dre Bly, Cornerback
Who Wants Him?: No one's been knocking down the door yet, but there are teams out there - like Minnesota or Atlanta, for instance - that would like to bring in a veteran defensive back for depth purposes.

Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

8. Jeff Garcia, Quarterback
Who Wants Him?: Rumors had him closing in on a contract with Oakland, to serve as backup for JaMarcus Russell, but nothing has been finalized yet.

Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images

9. Ken Lucas, Defensive back
Who Wants Him?: Lucas has some a couple good years left in him, but Carolina wanted its cap money instead. Miami will be wise to give Lucas a look.

David Stluka, Getty Images

10. Dominic Rhodes, Running back
Who Wants Him?: Not many teams, if action so far is any indication. The Colts expressed some desire to bring Rhodes back at a cheaper price, and that may be his best bet.

Keith Srakocic, AP