Singletary OK with Anderson wearing No. 50
For the first time in more than 20 years, a Bears player will wear No. 50 next season. New strongside linebacker James Anderson will be the first Bear to don the number since Hall of Famer Mike Singletary retired in 1992. The No. 50 never officially was retired, but Singletary is a legend around these parts.
‘‘I talked to Mike Singletary and told him that we hadn’t assigned 50 to anybody since he retired and that we needed to put it back in circulation,’’ chairman George McCaskey told the Bears’ website. ‘‘He said he wasn’t aware that it hadn’t been assigned, that he’s got no problem with it, and he’s perfectly fine with it.”
Anderson, who is replacing departed free agent Nick Roach, wore No. 50 for the Carolina Panthers since 2006.
‘‘There’s a lot of history behind this number with the Bears, and I’m honored and blessed that they would even consider letting me wear it,’’ said Anderson, who signed a one-year deal last month.
In other news, the Bears signed center Taylor Boggs, defensive tackle Andre Fluellen and defensive end Kyle Moore to one-year contracts. Fluellen and Moore, who is coming off offseason knee surgery, should provide more competition at positions where the Bears are relatively thin, but the team still is thought to be interested in resigning veteran Israel Idonije.
Fluellen (6-3, 285 pounds) has played in 56 games in five seasons with the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins; Moore (6-6, 263 pounds) started seven games and had 24 tackles and three sacks last season for the Buffalo Bills; and Boggs hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game.