The Bears finally cut the chord with overpaid diva/wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad. It was a wise decision, and it wasn't the only good move GM Jerry Angelo made Monday.
The Bears also released defensive tackle Darwin Walker and offensive tackle Fred Miller. In addition, they signed defensive end Alex Brown to a two-year extension.
With any luck, Brown's extension is a sign the Bears realize they screwed up by demoting the consistent and productive veteran from his starting position. Lovie Smith and his staff, mesmerized by Mark Anderson's 12-sack season in 2006-07, foolishly gave Brown's job to Anderson.
What a disaster.
Anderson slumped to five sacks last season and was woefully overmatched in the run game. To often, he lost outside contain and opposing running backs made big gains around his end. In contrast, Brown almost never blows an assignment and was almost as productive as a pass rusher, finishing with 4 1/2 sacks despite having his playing time cut.
The Bears run defense was terrible last year. Anderson was part of the problem. Brown is part of the solution. Anderson should be moved back into his 2006-07 role as a pass-rushing specialist, where he excels.
As for Darwin Walker, I barely noticed he was on the team last year. He was unproductive and frequently injured. He was due a hefty roster bonus of $5.2 million next month. That would be a waste of money. The Bears are in pretty good shape at defensive tackle with All-Pro Tommie Harris, Dusty Dvoracek, Antonio Garay and Matt Toeina. Walker is not needed.
Miller is coming off an injury-plagued season. Toward the end of the year, he was essentially a turnstile at right tackle. At age 35, he wasn't worth the $4 million he was scheduled to be paid next season. The Bears should make tackle a priority in the draft and get younger and more athletic on the offensive line.
As for Muhammad, good riddance. His production fell from 60 catches to 40 this past season. At this stage of his career, his greatest strengths include dropping passes, giving TV interviews and complaining about the Bears' subpar quarterback play. He scored only three touchdowns this year.
The Bears are woefully thin at wide receiver. But certainly, they can find a guy in the draft capable of replacing Muhammad's modest production. If I were Angelo, I'd place the franchise tag on Bernard Berrian, keep him around for one more year and hope Devin Hester develops into a legit No. 1 receiving threat in the meantime.
Angelo has a lot of work to do this offseason, but he got off to a good start Monday by clearing out some of the dead weight, freeing up some money and signing an underrated defensive end to an extension.
Good job, Jerry.
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