Jul 15th 2008 2:50PM by Josh Alper (author feed)
Filed under: Bears, NFC NorthThis morning there was word that Kevin Jones would be signing with either the Bears or Steelers today. My fellow FanHouser J.J. Cooper and I each opined that the Steelers made no sense for Jones if he actually wanted to play this season. Thankfully, neither of us will have to eat our words because Jones has signed with the Bears.

The former Lion signed a one-year, $605,000 deal with the team this afternoon. Jones’s recovery from knee surgery may not have progressed far enough for him to be on the field when camp opens a week from now but, if he’s fit, he should still provide solid competition for first-rounder Matt Forte in a battle for the starting tailback job.
“I’m ecstatic,” Jones said on his way to O’Hare from Halas Hall. “I know the situation. I know the Bears’ rich history of winning. Looking at the Bears, I know they’re a tough, running team. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
The Bears haven’t made any comment about why they veered away from earlier statements about not wanting to sign a veteran back to replace Cedric Benson. They haven’t had enough time to glean much about Forte’s ability and Jones wasn’t going to command much more money than he ended up getting. In the end, this seems like a deal that just made too much sense, for both parties, regardless of earlier posturing.