Bears add former Cowboys, NIU wide receiver Hurd
Roy Williams might not be the only big receiver being imported to Chicago from Dallas.
Sam Hurd also could be joining him on the Chicago Bears, according to a report by Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
It was believed that the Cowboys wanted to bring Hurd back to be their third receiver after they cut Williams, but Hurd may like his opportunity in Chicago better.
Hurd, 26, grew up in Texas and was undrafted out of Northern Illinois.
"I'm excited about this, no hard feelings towards Dallas," Hurd told ESPNDallas. "It's a job and it had nothing to do with the Cowboys. I would love to play for the Cowboys but I've always loved the city of Chicago and what the Bears stood for."
At 6-2, 205, he is a tough possession receiver who does not have much deep speed. He also is a decent special teams player and he could be an ideal replacement forRashied Davis, who agreed to terms with the Lions.
"He can play," former Cowboys receivers coach Ray Sherman told the Tribune. "He has a great work ethic and is smart. Tough. He has no fear. He's a great special teams player. He probably was the best special teams player there, and he played very well at receiver too."
Chicago Bears trade Greg Olsen to Carolina Panthers:- Fan’s take
Being the enduring Chicago Bears fan I am, I was skeptical of the team's recent overhaul of the tight end position.The Bears have traded starting tight end Greg Olsen(notes) to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for an undisclosed 2012 draft pick. In a move not entirely unrelated, the Bears also released veteranBrandon Manumaleuna(notes), and signed former Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth(notes).
There has been speculation since Mike Martz took over the offense that the receiver-tight end, Olsen, was going to have a hard time co-existing within Martz's pass happy system that relied on tight ends primarily for blocking. It seems that speculation was at least partially true. The signing of Spaeth seems to fit into Martz's scheme. Spaeth has only caught 36 passes in four seasons with the Steelers and is known as a blocker. It just is always hard to swallow when your team gives up solid, sometimes great, talent. Greg Olsen falls in that category.
I think the move, while relatively risky given Olsen's rather productive numbers in an otherwise question marked offense, seems a bigger picture move. Most likely, the Bears are positioning themselves to go after a bigger name player, probably a receiver. In this Bears fan's mind, that better be the case. While the Bears receivers -Devin Hester(notes), Johnny Knox(notes), Earl Bennett(notes)- have developed into solid, albeit not elite, wide outs, the team lacks the tall, physical receiver. Greg Olsen was the closest thing to fulfilling that. Wide receiver Roy Williams is reported to be the one the Bears have chosen. That being said, the chances of the Bears snatching someone else not being currently discussed is always a possibility.
I can understand putting together players to fit into an offensive system, but the Bears have now lost three offensive contributors and have gotten little in return to this point. Roy Williams is no shoe-in. The move is one that doesn't sit well until you see the end result. I'll hold final judgment until the roster is settled, but for now it leaves me extremely unsettled.
