Devin Hester wants Bears to sign Santana Moss

DevinHester
Devin Hester tried this route before, with little success.

In April of 2009, Hester encouraged the Bears to sign veteran Torry Holt so he could pick Holt’s brain about playing the receiver position. Holt signed with the Jaguars instead.

Now, as the Bears approach the 2011 season, there’s another accomplished receiver Hester would like to join forces with: Santana Moss.

"Anybody that can come in and help out the team, I’m down for it, and a guy like (Moss) can come in and really help out a lot," Hester said of his fellow Miami Hurricane. "I’m hoping we can get him."

Moss, 32, is on the Bears’ radar, and he is viewed as productive player and positive locker room influence. He had a career-high 93 catches for 1,115 yards and six touchdowns with Washington last season and has four 1000-yard seasons in 10 years.

Problem is, there’s no telling when free agency will begin, although an ESPN report recently speculated a July 28 start date. And there is no guarantee Moss will be on the market anyway. He recently told Sporting News Radio he wants to quickly re-sign with the Redskins once free agency starts. The Washington Post reported he was seeking either a two- or three-year deal at about $5 million per season.

If Moss is available and the Bears pursue him, some might question why Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith and crew would want to add a 5-foot-10-inch receiver to a mix that already includes the 5-11 Hester and 6-footers Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett.

"That small stuff is overrated," Smith said this offseason. "You look for receivers who can catch the ball and move the chains."

Still, both Angelo and Smith made it clear before the draft the team would like to add a bigger receiver, even despite offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s affection for small, speedy wideouts. But the Bears aren’t desperate to add a big target for quarterback Jay Cutler, who grew accustomed to 6-4 Brandon Marshall in Denver.

If there’s a productive, high-character big receiver on the market in free agency, the Bears are likely to at least look into it. But they’ve already decided against pursuing 6-5 Plaxico Burress, based on extensive research prior to Burress going to prison. And 6-4 Sidney Rice’s hip is a concern, although the Vikings said they have no issues with Rice’s health as they look to re-sign him.

The Bears seem content with what they have at receiver if their free-agent options are scarce.

"If we don’t add anybody, I’m very comfortable with the guys we have now, to be honest with you,’’ Hester said. "Everybody showed glimpses last season. We have the athletes to do it. Now, it’s just about going out there and getting it done."

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(chicagotribune.com)
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