Bears add DT Darwin Walker

by Shawn Domagal-Goldman on Jul 29, 2007 2:45 PM CDT

The offseason evolution of the Bears' D-Line took another step forward today when they traded a 5th round pick to the Bills for Darwin Walker, a former Eagles player. Apparently, the Bills were in a bind as Walker hadn't reported to camp and would have had to give Walker back to the Eagles for a 6th round pick if he didn't report by August 5th.

Here's his ESPN page.

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Very slick pick up

by the Bears. Now the DT rotation doesn't look so bad.

by RME JICO on Jul 29, 2007 3:06 PM CDT reply actions

This is also an extension of the Jones trade

as we had an extra 5th rounder from the Chargers trade.

by Devin47 on Jul 29, 2007 3:22 PM CDT reply actions

Good luck signing the guy

He's got 2 years left on his original Eagles contract, and unless Angelo ponies up, it's likely that he'll continue his holdout. Give him money, or you'll have a headache on your hands.

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by Brian Galliford on Jul 29, 2007 3:22 PM CDT reply actions

I'm sure...

since the Bears no longer have Scott or Tank they were probably willing to spend a little money on another starting caliber DT to shore up what was looking like it may have been a problem spot on our defense with Harris coming off a big injury, Dusty unproven and Adams seeming more like a 3rd DT.

by lopey986 on Jul 29, 2007 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions

The Bears aren't bound

to any return obligation, so the dynamic is quite a bit different. It is possible that the Bears offer him an extension, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do not. Staring contests with the Bears do not end well for players.

by Santos Sorrow on Jul 29, 2007 6:15 PM CDT up reply actions

Best Possible News!

Walker had no trouble getting to Bears training camp in Bourbonnais, Ill. Shortly after the trade was announced, the seven-year veteran was taking a physical during the team's afternoon practice.

"Philly, I have no regrets. I enjoyed myself in Philadelphia," Walker said. "I'll always have those years, championship years, to remember. But I'm extremely excited to be here."

He said it's a whole new situation with a team he thinks is a Super Bowl contender.

Walker's agent, Albert Irby, said his client was eager to join the Bears and planned to negotiate a new contract with Chicago.

"Darwin's old deal is gone. The new deal will be talked about tomorrow," Irby said. "We'll take a one-year deal. We'll do whatever it takes. We're not going to hold out.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2953545

The Bills were stuck in a terrible situation. The Bears now hold the leverage, and it appears that Walker seems quite excited about being on a contender. The defensive line just went from slight weakness to dominant strength. And for what? A fifth rounder. Amazing.

Thanks Jerry Angelo,
From Bears Nation

by quartz77277 on Jul 29, 2007 6:48 PM CDT up reply actions

Hmmm

"The defensive line just went from slight weakness to dominant strength. And for what? A fifth rounder. Amazing."

I think you may be overestimating Darwin Walker's abilities a bit...

Bleeding Green Nation Philadelphia Eagles Blog

by JasonB on Jul 29, 2007 8:55 PM CDT up reply actions

it's all about the depth

by mike b on Jul 29, 2007 11:48 PM CDT up reply actions

With all due respect

to the defensive tackles in Philadelphia over the last several years, Darwin Walker has never played next to someone even remotely as talented as Tommie Harris. Tommie Harris is as quick as a defensive end and requires the attention of the center and a guard on every snap.

Putting another two-gap DT next to Harris is going to be very problematic for offenses. With lines forces to shift to Harris, Walker is going to be blowing up the 1-hole or 3-hole on every snap. If you couple that with Mark Anderson getting the lion's share of snaps at RDE, this defensive line will likely lead the NFL is sacks and hurries.

Do not underestimate the impact of this trade, it DRAMATICALLY makes the Bears better.

by Santos Sorrow on Jul 30, 2007 8:35 AM CDT up reply actions

Really?

You're the first person to ever call Darwin Walker a "2 gap DT"

Have you really seen any of him during his career?

Bleeding Green Nation Philadelphia Eagles Blog

by JasonB on Jul 30, 2007 12:07 PM CDT up reply actions

tweaking briggs

Walker had no trouble getting to Bears training camp in Bourbonnais, Ill. Shortly after the trade was announced, the seven-year veteran was taking a physical during the team's afternoon practice.
...
"We'll take a one-year deal. We'll do whatever it takes. We're not going to hold out.

It sounds like they're talking about someone who took a few extra days to get to camp after signing a one year deal.

Unleash your inner Grabowski.

by jrm78 on Jul 30, 2007 7:23 AM CDT up reply actions

Actually, it sounds like...

the Bears have already re-negotiated his contract as part of the trade. That's what this article makes it sound like:

Walker, 6 feet 3 inches, 294 pounds, was dealt by Philadelphia to Buffalo in March as part of a trade for linebacker Takeo Spikes, but Walker refused to report to the Bills unless they agreed to restructure his contract, which called for him to earn $1.3 million in 2007 and $1.4 million next year.

The Bears did not extend Walker's contract, but a source said the deal was restructured to pay Walker some of the money up front in the form of a bonus.

by Shawn Domagal-Goldman on Jul 30, 2007 5:41 AM CDT up reply actions

Walker

this whole thing has me a little bit concerned that maybe the Bears are a liitle unsure of how much Tommie Harris has recovered. Signing both Walker & Adams seems like a little bit of overkill to me when we surely are going to need to put some money into the offensive line soon, not to mention how much it will cost to keep a healthy Harris.

by jayperry on Jul 29, 2007 7:33 PM CDT reply actions

Re: let me ease your concerns...

with some simple math. Adams + Walker = Scott + Tank. I was concerned at first, but I think that's about right, their stats even match up pretty well. Hopefully Dusty and Harris start but then we still have capable backups just in case something catastrophic happens again, or just when they need a breather.

by mikebdot on Jul 29, 2007 7:51 PM CDT up reply actions

our D-line is on a heavy rotation

having 4 quality guys playing DT is about right. i wouldn't be too worried. walker is still a very good player, and helps ease the pressure on dusty to be a legit starter on a title contender from day 1. great move. adams and walker provide 2 solid-to-very-good DTs to put into our rotation. no need to force DEs to play DTs now.

by guy incognito on Jul 29, 2007 9:28 PM CDT up reply actions

wow

outside of the RB position (which I'm fairly comfortable with), our team sure looks stacked. Great, great move by Angelo. It's funny that he took some heat at the start of this off-season and all he's done since is sign a coach that made it to the superbowl last year, resign to all-pro-caliber Corners, add a blazing Tight End, add a rock solid DT (without a criminal past), resolve a messy situation before it became a holdout and return, what?, 20 of 22 starters to a team that made last year's superbowl. ....wow.
no complaints here.

by cookding @ Windy City Gridiron on Jul 30, 2007 7:47 AM CDT reply actions

Re: Dusty

I do like the trade, but has anyone seen Dusty's response to this?

by mikebdot on Jul 30, 2007 9:01 AM CDT reply actions

who cares?

dusty better come ready to compete, i hope he didn't think they were just going to hand him the starting job or something. plus, he is still basically a rookie.

by lopey986 on Jul 30, 2007 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Re: reaction

I was just wondering if there was a reaction. It's a great opportunity to gauge how mature the kid is. Which sort of speaks to the point about him not thinking they were going to hand it to him. I don't think that was the case and just wanted to confirm it with his response...

by mikebdot on Jul 30, 2007 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions