Marion Barber.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears added to their backfield and defensive line, agreeing to a two-year contract with running back Marion Barber and a one-year deal with nose tackle Amobi Okoye on Saturday.

The also re-signed cornerback and special teams contributor Corey Graham to a one-year deal.

Barber spent the last six seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, running for 4,358 yards and 47 touchdowns — sixth in the NFL during that span. He added 1,280 yards receiving.

He was officially released by the Cowboys this week along with former Pro Bowl receiver Roy Williams, who joined the Bears on Friday.

Okoye wasn’t out of work for long, either, after being cut by Houston on Saturday.

The youngest first-round draft pick in NFL history when he was taken 10th overall in 2007 at age 19, he had a career-high 44 tackles in 2010, including three sacks. But the Texans’ defence ranked among the league’s worst in most categories. Houston used six of its eight draft picks on defensive players, and new defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips plans to use Shaun Cody and Earl Mitchell at nose tackle, leaving Okoye out of the mix.

In four seasons with Houston, he had 138 tackles, 11 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Graham has appeared in 61 games over four seasons with the Bears and has 111 tackles, one interception and nine pass breakups. His 82 special teams stops rank second to Adrian Peterson’s 110 on the club’s list since the statistic was first recorded in 1995.

Graham led Chicago with 25 special teams tackles last season.

The Bears also waived guard Herman Johnson on Saturday.

The Chicago Bears boosted their roster Saturday by adding running back Marion Barber and nose tackle Amobi Okoye. But they also might be on the verge of losing Olin Kreutz, their six-time Pro Bowl center.

Kreutz, who has spent 13 seasons with the Bears, appears to be on his way out of Chicago with contract negotiations going nowhere.

Said Kreutz’s agent, Mark Bartelstein: “Right now, it doesn’t look good.”

The Chicago Tribune cited a source close to negotiations in reporting that the Bears have refused to offer more than a one-year, $4 million deal. Kreutz wants $500,000 more.

“I think it’s over,” the source told the Tribune. “They seem dead.”

Without Kreutz at training camp Saturday, the Bears worked out Roberto Garza and Chris Williams at center.

Joining them soon will be Barber, who agreed to a two-year, $2.5 million contract with the Bears, a league source told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora. Barber is the third former Dallas Cowboy to become a Bear this week, along with wide receivers Roy Williams and Sam Hurd.

Barber was released this week after spending six seasons with the Cowboys and running for 4,358 yards and 47 touchdowns — sixth in the NFL during that span. He added 1,280 receiving yards.

Bears starting running back Matt Forte, who’s making a $550,000 base salary and wants a long-term contract, told the Tribune that the Barber deal isn’t a big deal to him.

“I kind of got my mind put to ease by (general manager Jerry Angelo),” Forte said. “He had been in talks with my agent since the end of the lockout and even before that, and he kind of said that a deal would get done. He assured us repeatedly that a deal would get done. Where I’m from and how I was raised, when somebody gives you their word, that goes a long way.”

The Bears also addressed their defense, agreeing to a one-year deal with Okoye just hours after the Houston Texans released him.

The youngest first-round draft pick in NFL history when he was taken 10th overall in 2007 at age 19, Okoye had a career-high 44 tackles in 2010, including three sacks. But the Texans spent six of their eight draft picks on defensive players, and new coordinator Wade Phillips plans to use Shaun Cody and Earl Mitchell at nose tackle, leaving Okoye out of the mix.

In four seasons with Houston, Okoye had 138 tackles, 11 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

The Bears also re-signed Corey Graham, a cornerback and special-teams contributor, to a one-year deal and waived guard Herman Johnson.

Graham has appeared in 61 games over four seasons with the Bears and recorded 111 tackles, one interception and nine pass breakups. His 82 special-teams stops rank second to Adrian Peterson’s 110 on Chicago’s list since the statistic was first recorded in 1995.

Graham led Chicago with 25 special teams tackles last season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

By Kevin McCauley

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Jul 30, 2011 – The Chicago Bears’ defensive line was already solid, but they’ve added some solid quality and depth on Saturday night. According to NFL.com’s Jason La Confora, the Bears have signed defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, former first round pick of the Houston Texans.

Though Okoye has played four years in the NFL, he is only 24 years old. Okoye graduated from high school at the age of 15 and made his debut for the Louisville Cardinals at 16 year old, becoming the youngest player in the NCAA. He made his debut in the NFL at just 20 years old after graduating from college at the age of 19.

Okoye has 138 tackles and 11 sacks in his career and should fill a role as a balanced 4-3 defensive tackle nicely for the Bears. He’ll compete for time with Anthony Adams and second round pick Stephen Paea, among others. 

For more on Okoye and the Chicago Bears, check out SB Nation’s Chicago Bears blog Windy City Gridiron.

Read More: Amobi Okoye (DT – HOU), Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals

CHICAGO (AP)—The Chicago Bears added to their backfield and defensive
line, agreeing to a two-year contract with running back Marion Barber(notes) and a
one-year deal with nose tackle Amobi Okoye(notes) on Saturday.

The also re-signed cornerback and special teams contributor Corey Graham(notes) to
a one-year deal.

Barber spent the last six seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, running for 4,358
yards and 47 touchdowns—sixth in the NFL during that span. He added 1,280
yards receiving.

He was officially released by the Cowboys this week along with former Pro
Bowl receiver Roy Williams, who joined the Bears on Friday.

Okoye wasn’t out of work for long, either, after being cut by Houston on
Saturday.

The youngest first-round draft pick in NFL history when he was taken 10th
overall in 2007 at age 19, he had a career-high 44 tackles in 2010, including
three sacks. But the Texans’ defense ranked among the league’s worst in most
categories. Houston used six of its eight draft picks on defensive players, and
new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips plans to use Shaun Cody(notes) and Earl
Mitchell(notes) at nose tackle, leaving Okoye out of the mix.

In four seasons with Houston, he had 138 tackles, 11 sacks, two forced
fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Graham has appeared in 61 games over four seasons with the Bears and has 111
tackles, one interception and nine pass breakups. His 82 special teams stops
rank second to Adrian Peterson’s 110 on the club’s list since the statistic was
first recorded in 1995.

Graham led Chicago with 25 special teams tackles last season.

The Bears also waived guard Herman Johnson(notes) on Saturday.