Bears Sign LB James Anderson to One-Year Deal

The Bears added another linebacker to their corps, signing former Panthers linebacker James Anderson to a one-year deal.

Anderson was a third-round draft pick of the Panthers in 2006 and spent his entire career with the team as a strong-side linebacker, picking up 52 starts in his 94 games played. Over his career he's registered three interceptions, eight sacks and 308 tackles. Primarily, he's a strong-side linebacker, making this the replacement for Nick Roach.

The Panthers signed him to a five-year, $22 million contract in July 2011 just after the lockout ended, and the Panthers cutting him resulted in a $3 million savings to the cap.

This doesn't mean the Bears will look away from linebacker in the draft - WIlliams is 31, Anderson is 29, Lance Briggs is 32, and there's still a nice amount of linebacker talent in the draft. Plus, depending on how much Anderson's deal is for, the Bears could have gotten DJ Williams, Tom Zbikowski and Anderson this weekend for less than the total amount of cash Brian Urlacher wanted.

This signing does at least ensure there's solid veteran talent at the helm for the time being. What are your thoughts on the signing?