2 - Danieal Manning, DB/RS, Abilene Christian (5-11, 202); 2 - Devin Hester, WR/RS, Miami (FL) (5-11, 190); 3 - Dusty Dvoracek, DT, Oklahoma (6-3, 306); 4 - Jamar Williams, OLB, Arizona State (6-0, 236); 5 - Mark Anderson, DE, Alabama (6-4, 254); 6 - J.D. Runnels, FB, Oklahoma (5-11, 240); 6 - Tyler Reed, G, Penn State (6-3, 307) Analysis: Why the Bears traded out of the first round rather than adding a much-needed pass-catcher like Marcedes Lewis or Sinorice Moss will be a matter of debate, especially if Hester fails to develop as hoped. Manning adds depth to a secondary that requires it, and Manning and Hester are both good kick returners. The presence of Dvoracek will help to ease concerns over Tank Johnson's torn quadriceps. Anderson was thought by many to be a first-round talent and was a steal for the Bears in the fifth round. Reed, meanwhile, was a reach who will be a longshot to make the roster. Bottom Line: The receiving situation doesn't look much better than it did on Saturday morning, but the Bears did find potential impact players in Manning, Dvoracek, and Anderson.

CHICAGO BEARS

Predraft needs: Tight end, cornerback, wide receiver.

What they got: The Bears had the NFL's No. 2 defense last season and the league's 29th-ranked offense, but they waited until the sixth round to take an offensive player (Oklahoma fullback J.D. Runnels). Top pick Danieal Manning of Abilene Christian will help fill the hole left when Chicago traded safety Mike Green to Seattle. Miami's Devin Hester is a game-breaking return man. Even so, the Bears' failure to add some firepower to their offensive arsenal is perplexing.

Brian Griese agreed to a five-year deal with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday, adding depth at quarterback and a potential challenger to starter Rex Grossman.

"I don't think there's any question he's going into the position to compete for the job," Griese's agent Ralph Cindrich said.
The 31-year-old Griese completed 112 of 174 passes for 1,136 yards and led Tampa Bay to a 5-1 start last year before a season-ending knee. The Buccaneers decided to waive him this month rather than pay a $2.6 million roster bonus.

Griese has passed for 16,344 yards and 103 touchdowns in eight seasons with Denver, Miami and Tampa Bay.

Cindrich said Griese passed physicals with the Bears, Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, and "he'll be ready to go" in time for minicamp. Cindrich, who would not reveal the financial terms of the deal, said the contract will likely be signed on Wednesday.

The Bears have said they are committed to Grossman as their starter, but Griese has started 72 of 75 games in his career.

Cindrich said the Bears made no promises

After tearing the ACL in his right knee early in the 2004 season, Grossman broke his left ankle in the preseason and missed the first 13 games. Chad Hutchinson flopped, and rookie Kyle Orton began the season as the starting quarterback.

Beset by recurring injuries, Chicago Bears cornerback and kickoff return specialist Jerry Azumah, a former college tailback who made a remarkably seamless transition to the defensive side of the ball as a rookie, retired Thursday after seven NFL seasons.

"This has been a great ride," he said during a news conference. "It's nothing to cry about or hold my head down to. Just looking at everything I accomplished and achieved, being here with the Bears and how they've embraced me, has been tremendous."

The move had been rumored since Azumah suffered the second serious neck injury of his career during the Bears' loss to the Carolina Panthers in a divisional-round playoff game Jan. 15. Azumah had surgery to repair a similar injury in the summer of 2004 and missed the first four games of that season. He also had two operations, the most recent following the 2005 season, to address a problem with his right hip.

"I knew I'd be playing in pain," Azumah said. "That was what was understood. I'd be playing with some pain, they'd go in and clean it out and would get me better so I wouldn't miss the season ... I decided to play until, basically, the wheels fell off."

Although he played in 15 games in 2005, Azumah started only one contest, a career low. And it was clear at times that he was not the same player he had been before the onset of the injuries. Playing primarily as a nickel cornerback, Azumah recorded 45 tackles, one sack and six passes defensed. For the first time since 2002, he failed to register an interception.

Teammates and club officials said that, while Azumah agonized over what was an emotional decision, the battles to keep bouncing back from serious surgeries had become too much for him.

A fifth-round choice in the 1999 draft, Azumah came to the Bears after a celebrated career as a tailback at New Hampshire, where he won the Walter Payton Award as the outstanding player at the Division I-AA level for the 1998 season. He was immediately switched to cornerback, became a part-time starter and a key nickel defender by his second season, then moved into the starting lineup in 2002.

In 2003, Azumah was chosen for the Pro Bowl squad as a return specialist, after he averaged 29.0 yards and scored two touchdowns on kickoffs.

Azumah, 28, started 29 games at cornerback between 2002-2003 and had four interceptions in 2003. He matched those four interceptions in 2004, despite starting in only eight games.

For his career, Azumah appeared in 105 games with 48 starts. He had 384 tackles, 10 interceptions, 29 passes defensed, 6½ sacks, six forced fumbles and one recovery.

While Azumah was departing, the Bears welcomed back three-year veteran defensive linemen Israel Idonije, when the team opted to match the four-year restricted free agent offer sheet to which the Buffalo Bills signed him last week. Chicago thus inherits the $7.4 million deal, which included a signing bonus of $1.6 million. Had the Bears not matched the offer sheet, they would not have received any compensation from Buffalo, since Idonije entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2003.

Chicago Bears defensive lineman Terry "Tank" Johnson is recovering Friday from surgery to repair a torn quadriceps muscle, an injury that could sideline him for at least four months.

The 24-year-old Johnson injured his leg during a workout and had surgery last week, the Bears said. He is expected to be out for four to six months, missing most of training camp.

Johnson's agent, Bill Heck, declined to discuss specifics of the injury. The team said he was not working out at Halas Hall at the time. Johnson, who started several games last season, is considered a promising nose tackle.