LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Today marks the latest installment of a regular feature on ChicagoBears.com. Senior writer Larry Mayer sits down with general manager Jerry Angelo to discuss the most pressing issues involving the Bears on the first and third Wednesdays of each month during the offseason and every Wednesday throughout the season.

This unique feature will provide you with inside information directly from Jerry that you can’t get anywhere else. Jerry will candidly discuss relevant issues affecting the Bears that avid fans are most interested in.

LM: The Bears had free agents Orlando Pace and Ken Lucas in to Halas Hall for free agent visits on Monday. It also has been reported that the Bears made preliminary inquiries with Denver regarding Jay Cutler. Where does the team stand on adding any of these players to the roster?
 

Free agent tackle Orlando Pace visited the Bears at Halas Hall earlier this week.

JA: We always are looking for ways to improve our team and we spend a great deal of time exploring the options available to us whether it be unrestricted free agency, restricted free agents, trades, the draft, etc. We have brought in players that have helped us win through all those vehicles in my years here in Chicago. We have already signed a few free agents this offseason and we continue to work the pro player acquisition channels as we prepare for the draft. What we have not made a habit of is talking about these moves prematurely and we will continue to operate in a similar fashion. Some moves we explore become public and many others do not. Our preference would be for none of our discussions to be known until after they are complete. That said, we understand the rumors that are out there and we know it is great fodder for the media and our fans to talk about. People are interested because they care about the Bears and that is a great thing we take to heart. But we feel the best way to conduct business is to only address these situations publicly if and when something is consummated.

LM: It appeared at the start of the offseason that offensive tackle and safety were two big needs. But after signing offensive linemen Frank Omiyale and Kevin Shaffer and free safety Josh Bullocks in free agency, how much flexibility does that give the Bears in the draft?

JA: It obviously gives us more than what we would have had, but that doesn't mean that we wouldn't take an offensive tackle if we felt he was the best player on the board. Now we don't have to fixate on that one position. When you go into any draft, you have needs and those needs in all likelihood have to be filled through the draft. That's why you commonly hear teams criticized for taking players too high. So, if you can go into a draft without being a hostage to a position, you put yourself in a much better situation of taking the best players available, which we've helped ourselves to do by signing those three players. 
 
LM: ChicagoBears.com is running a four-part series that gives fans a unique behind-the-scenes look at how the Bears prepare for the draft. Why did you want to be part of the series?

JA: I think we have a great scouting staff, both in our college and pro departments, and a great working relationship between those departments and our coaching staff. That's a key component for any organization to be successful and I feel strongly about ours. I wanted to share this with our fans. This gives fans a special insight on some of the behind-the-scenes work it takes to prepare us to be a championship football team during the offseason. Like any good organization, there are a lot of unsung heroes that put a tremendous amount of time, passion and dedication into doing their jobs and I want our fans get to know them and see them at work. 
 
LM: How many prospects are you bringing to Halas Hall before the draft, what do the visits consist of, how do you choose which players to bring in, and what information are you most interested in obtaining from them?

JA: By league rules we're allowed to bring in 30 players, and the visits must consist of a physical examination. We choose these players based off of different criteria; mostly they're players we like as potential draft picks or as college free agents who weren't invited to the Combine. Along with the physical, it gives us an opportunity to meet and greet them as well as get more info on them, in particular their medical history and a little bit more about their personal lives.