The Chicago Bears' acquisition of defensive tackle Brian Price from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became official on Friday night after the 2010 second-round draft pick from UCLA passed his physical.
Price is a year removed from two surgeries to reattach his hamstrings to his pelvis. Price started 14 of 15 games in 2011, totaling 24 tackles and three sacks while playing in around 47 percent of the Buccaneers' defensive snaps. Price had a tumultuous offseason, dealing first with the tragic death of his older sister and was involved in a fight with 2012 first-round pick Mark Barron.
After he failed his conditioning test, the Bucs gave permission for Price's agent to find a change of scenery and later shipped him to the Bears for a seventh-round pick. The 6-foot-1, 303-pound Price can play both the nose and three-technique in the Bears' 4-3 defense and figures to be part of a rotation with Matt Toeania, Henry Melton and Stephen Paea. Melton, who had 7.0 sacks last season, is scheduled to be a free agent after this year, while Price is signed through 2013.
Rod Marinelli is one of more well-respected defensive line coaches in the league and is looking forward to working with Price, reports Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
"We looked at him (before the 2010 draft), and from other guys in the league, he's a physical guy, he fits like our guys, he's athletic, the movement is good and he's got really good power," Marinelli said. "We're anxious to get him here and see what he's got."
