Chicago Bears Find Brian Urlacher’s Replacement In D.J. Williams

January 8, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams comes onto the field before the first quarter of the 2011 AFC wild card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

As a Chicago Bears fan, I have to admit it was sad to see the Chicago Bears and Brian Urlacher part ways, the way they did.

It is pretty much a ‘he say, she say’ type situation where Urlacher says the Bears really had no interest in bringing him back but just wanted to make it sound like they did. The way things played out, left a hole in the middle of the defense where we are used to seeing Brian Urlacher adjusting the defense and making plays.

Exit Brian Urlacher, enter D.J. Williams, a former Denver Broncos LB. In my opinion, along with colleague Erik D. this is a solid pick up, as we were unsure on what the Chicago Bears had in mind now that Urlacher is looking for a new place to call home.

It won’t be easy coming into a city where an organization has had the same middle linebacker for over a decade and expect the fans to adjust to his style of play right away, but he is a solid player if he can keep himself out of trouble.

The deal is said to be a 1 year contract which could add up to $1.75 million depending on his performance. Last season he faced a couple of suspensions 1 being a 2 game suspension, a 6 game suspension for violating the leagues performance enhancing policy and was arrested for driving under the influence.

Things like this worry me, I know players are humans themselves and will make mistakes, but when representing a professional football team and a franchise investing money in your talents, why take it for granted? It will be a tough spot to fill,  replacing a future Hall of Fame linebacker in a city that is all about their defense, it will be interesting to see if D.J. Williams can shake free from his past and be that field general the fans and this team are looking for.