{Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia}
Ellis previously played for New Orleans from 2008-2012.
LAKE FOREST- Sedrick Ellis is expected to fully participate in the final day of the Bears mandatory mini-camp on Thursday. It was announced after Tuesday’s practice that Ellis had been signed to a one-year contract. His signing was made possible by the Gabe Carimi trade which took place on Sunday, thus vacating his roster spot.
With the salary cap making it almost impossible for the Bears to re-sign Israel Idonije and with the losses of Matt Toeaina and Amobi Okoye, the Bears lacked depth and experience on the interior of the defensive line. Henry Melton and Stephen Paea are expected to be the starters. Behind them, there isn’t much experience next to Nate Collins.
The only other D-Tackles on the roster are fifth-year player Corvey Irvin who’s bounced around from one team to the next along with rookies Zach Minter, Brent Russell and Christian Tupou. Ellis brings with him 12 1/2 career sacks, 134 total tackles, 14 pass deflections and two forced fumbles. Not bad for a player who was considered and underachiever.
Ellis was drafted seventh overall out of Southern California by the Saints in 2008. His stats in college along with his strength and ability put him right in the starting lineup for New Orleans. Unfortunately his most productive year in the Big Easy was in 2010 when he had 44 tackles and six sacks. His final two years in the black and gold only saw him collect a lousy 1/2 sack.
The Saints had tried to re-sign the 300 pounder but Ellis says that the defensive scheme just didn’t fit him. The Saints emphasized more of a pass defense based on the “read-and-react” theory. “Those schemes didn’t quite suit my talents and that showed in production“, Ellis told the Chicago Tribune .
The 28-year-old says that the Bears “Cover 2” scheme suits him better. He also told the Tribune “They {The Bears} allow their guys to do what defensive linemen are supposed to do, and that’s rush the passer and get sacks and put pressure on the quarterback while playing the run on the way, I haven’t had the chance to do that the last couple of years, so I’m excited about that.”
The Bears are also excited to have a guy with his size, speed, athleticism and experience. Although he has yet to wear a Bears uniform, there is buzz around Halas Hall that the Bears already plan on putting him on the second team defense next to Nate Collins. While this has yet to be confirmed, it wouldn’t surprise anybody considering that the Bears traded a former first round draft pick to bring him in.
While his signing was announced on Tuesday, what had actually happened was Ellis and his agent agreeing to the contract. On Wednesday, Ellis came to Halas Hall to officially sign his contract, take his physical {which he passed} and speak with the Chicago media. He will have another opportunity to speak to the press of the third-largest media market after Thursday’s practice.
All eyes and cameras will be on him and everyone is eager to see how he performs on the field. Follow me on Twitter for all things sports @GabeSalgado82
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