www.BearGear.info

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears on Tuesday bolstered their secondary by reacquiring veteran safety Chris Harris from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for linebacker Jamar Williams.

Harris played his first two NFL seasons with the Bears after being selected by Chicago in the sixth round of the 2005 draft. The 6-foot, 205-pounder was then traded to the Panthers on Aug. 2, 2007 for a 2008 fifth-round draft pick that the Bears spent on cornerback Zackary Bowman.

Harris is the fourth player the Bears have added to the secondary this offseason. They also signed free agent cornerback Tim Jennings and drafted Florida safety Major Wright in the third round and Kansas State cornerback Joshua Moore in the fifth round with two of their first three picks.

“This kind of completes our overhaul of our safety position,” said coach Lovie Smith. “I’m excited. Chris was a good player for us when he was here last time. We know what he brings to the table.”

In five NFL seasons, Harris has appeared in 69 games with 64 starts, registering 338 tackles, 10 interceptions, 22 passes defensed and 12 forced fumbles.

As a rookie with the Bears in 2005, Harris started 13 of 14 games played at free safety, recording 70 tackles, three interceptions and eight pass breakups. He picked off two Brett Favre passes in the fourth quarter of a division-clinching win over the Packers in Green Bay on Christmas Day.

Harris appeared in 11 games with seven starts in 2007, missing five contests with ankle and quadriceps injuries. After opening the year at free safety, he started the final five regular-season games and all three playoff contests, including Super Bowl XLI, at strong safety.

In 2006, Harris registered 54 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups. His interception of Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLI was the first by a Bears safety in the post-season since Mark Carrier in 1991. 

“We’re excited about some of our young players like Major Wright coming in,” Smith said. “But we wanted to get a veteran player who has been around and who has played at the highest level. The last time Chris played for us, we were in the Super Bowl. Hopefully he can help us get some of that magic back.”

Harris started 44 games in three seasons with the Panthers, all at strong safety. He led the NFL with eight forced fumbles in 2007, and then forced two fumbles in each of the past two seasons. One of those came against Bears tight end Greg Olsen in a Carolina victory in 2008.

Smith declined to say whether Harris will line up at free or strong safety in his second tour of duty with the Bears.

“He’s be one of our safeties, that’s what we’ve talked about,” said the Bears coach. “We have a plan for him, but we want to get him here and start talking about it then.”

Williams, meanwhile, appeared in 16 games with two starts last season, registering a career-high 49 tackles with two pass breakups and 10 special-teams stops. The 2006 fourth-round draft pick was stuck at the Bears’ deepest position behind veterans Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach.


Front office move: In other news Tuesday, the Bears did not renew the contract of Greg Gabriel, their director of college scouting. A veteran of 28 NFL seasons, Gabriel joined the Bears in 2001.

His responsibilities included scheduling scouting visits, coordinating scouting meetings and evaluating collegiate players while playing an instrumental role in the development of the Bears’ draft plan.

Gabriel’s drafts with Chicago produced five players who combined to be selected to 12 Pro Bowls in linebacker Lance Briggs (5), defensive tackle Tommie Harris (3), cornerback Nathan Vasher (1) and return specialists Devin Hester (2) and Johnny Knox (1).

Gabriel joined the Bears after serving as the director of player development for the New York Giants. During his tenure in New York from 1985-2001, the Giants went to three Super Bowls, winning two.