Bears add Larsen, Bolden, interview Jack
The Bears continued to add depth Thursday, even as they looked toward their future — the NFL draft — four weeks away.
For the second time in as many days, they added an interior lineman, agreeing to a one-year deal with former Cardinals guard Ted Larsen. Five hours later, they signed safety Omar Bolden, who spent the first three years of his career as a specialteamer on coach John Fox’s Broncos teams, to a one-year contract.
During the day, a source confirmed they interviewed UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, considered a likely top-10 pick, at Halas Hall.
A torn meniscus in his right knee limited Jack to only three games as a junior; he didn’t run the 40 at UCLA’s pro day in mid-March but will return to Indianapolis to get the knee rechecked in two weeks.
Teams view the 6-1, 245-pounder as a high-end talent — he even played some running back in college — who could excel at linebacker or, perhaps, even at a hybrid safety position.
General manager Ryan Pace has moved toward furthering the Bears’ culture of competition by signing three veterans in two days. One day after adding center/guard Manny Ramirez, Pace agreed to sign Larsen, who has appeared at left guard 34 times in his six-year career, including the first three regular-season games with the Cardinals in 2015.
He moved to right guard — where he has started 13 games in his career — for the last seven, playing next to new Bears right tackle Bobby Massie.
Larsen started 31 times in four seasons for the Buccaneers after being drafted in the sixth round in 2010. He has played 10 games at center, but Ramirez seems more likely to be the veteran who pushes second-year player Hroniss Grasu at that spot.
Fox said last week that the Bears knew their offensive line needed to improve and that they weren’t done adding players.
“We need depth,” he said. “We need a swing guy.”
Fox said Kyle Long would open practices at right guard; Matt Slauson’s left-guard spot, then, is more vulnerable to competition.
Fox likes to keep seven offensive linemen on game day. To carry two interior linemen as reserves, the team would need to be confident a guard could move to tackle in case of injury.
Bolden, whom the Broncos plucked from Arizona State in the fourth round four years ago, is a special-teams weapon. The 5-10, 195-pounder averaged 24.7 yards on 44 kick returns in his career and could challenge Deonte Thompson for the Bears’ primary job.
Bolden’s 27 special-teams tackles were tied for the most on the Broncos during the last four years.
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