Chicago Bears: A Post-Lockout Primer for Bears Fans

I've already written What Bears Must Do When Lockout Ends, but now that it is officially over, let's take a look at what has already been done, what the schedule looks like and where the Bears go from here.

Signing Undrafted Players

The Bears actually have already come to verbal agreements with several undrafted free agents. While many of them are simply roster filler, a couple could actually find their way onto the practice squad or even the team.

Last year, the Packers (ugh!) won the Super Bowl (ugh, again!) with two undrafted free agents playing fairly prominent roles.

The league announced that teams could start talking to undrafted players starting at 6 p.m. ET on Monday, though they technically couldn't sign them until today.

None of these players have been officially announced by the Bears yet, but have agreed to deals according to sources on ESPN.com:

Oregon State center Alex Linnenkohl; Virginia Tech tight end Andre Smith; Pittsburgh safety Dom DeCicco; Northwestern defensive tackle Corbin Bryant; Troy outside linebacker Mario Addison; Mississippi State center J.C. Brignone; TCU receiver Jimmy Young; Texas A&M-Kingsville linebacker Tressor Baptiste and NW Missouri State cornerback Ryan Jones.

The Schedule (according to ESPN.com):

Monday: NFL published free agent list. Undrafted free agents can sign with teams.

Tuesday, 10 a.m. ET: Trading begins. Teams can sign rookies and negotiate with, but not sign, veteran free agents.

Thursday, 4:01 p.m. ET: Teams can begin to cut players.

Friday: Camp opens for the Bears and the other nine clubs whose first preseason game is on August 13.

Friday, 6 p.m. ET: Teams can officially sign free agents. Players who sign must report to new teams but can't participate in physical activities until start of league year Aug. 4.

Aug. 4  4:01 p.m. ET: Clubs must be within salary cap.

Aug. 30  Possible roster reduction from 90 player to 75.  

Sept. 3  Signing period ends for unrestricted free agents who received the June 1 tender. Roster reduction to 53 players.

Their Own Free Agents

The team informed punter Brad Maynard that his services are no longer needed, according to a Tweet from @BradBiggs.

They are also expected to show only minimal interest in bringing back Devin Aromashodu (not tendered), Danieal Manning and Corey Graham. They would love to have Graham back for special teams, but are unwilling to pay him like a starting cornerback.

Meanwhile, they want to bring Olin Kruetz, Anthony Adams and Nick Roach back.

Outside Free Agents

Although many Bears fans would love to see a big-name free-agent wide receiver, such as Sidney Rice, come to Chicago, the team appears to be setting its sights a bit lower. Think Mike Sims-Walker or Brad Smith.

Harvey Dahl, a free agent guard from the Falcons, would be an excellent fit for the Bears.

Also expect the Bears to flirt with a few unrestricted defensive linemen, such as Justin Durant of the Jags.

Richmond McGee was brought in to punt, but you can expect the team to bring in Steve Weatherford from the Jets.

On the defensive line, although they drafted Stephen Paea, they are said to be interested in Seattle's Brandon Mebane.