--RB Matt Forte (2/44): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--WR Earl Bennett (3/70): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--DT Marcus Harrison (3/90): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--S Craig Steltz (4/120): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--CB Zackary Bowman (5/142): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--TE Kellen Davis (5/158): $1.89M/4 yrs, $167,954 SB; 2008 cap: $337,000.

--DE Ervin Baldwin (7/208): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--OG Chester Adams (7/222): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--LB Joey LaRocque (7/243): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--OT Kirk Barton (7/247): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--WR Marcus Monk (7/248): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

DRAFT CHOICES UNSIGNED

--OT Chris Williams (1/14).

UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACK: Starter -- Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton. Backups -- Caleb Hanie, Nick Hill.

The starter may not be decided until some time in the preseason, and by all accounts, the job is up for grabs. Grossman has had the job for the past four seasons -- when he wasn't injured, which was often -- but he has yet to demonstrate the consistency the Bears would like. The 6-foot-4 Orton has the prototypical size that the 6-1 Grossman lacks, but Orton has thrown just 80 passes in the past two seasons, all while starting the final three games of 2007. Injuries have hampered Grossman's progress, and he has alternated great games with terrible outings too often. Orton was only so-so last season but played well enough to earn a shot at the No. 1 job.

RUNNING BACKS: Starter -- Matt Forte. Backups -- Adrian Peterson, Kevin Jones, Garrett Wolfe.

Forte can be a workhorse and an effective three-down back. "He gives us a big back; a three-down back," GM Jerry Angelo said. "He's got enough speed to get to the outside, and he has the ability to make people miss at the second level. Those two areas where we could really never find any consistency, which made us an easy team to defend." Adrian Peterson is an adequate backup and solid receiver in third-down situations. If Jones is healthy, he could challenge Forte for time in the starting lineup. Garrett Wolfe, a third-round pick last year, may be too tiny to factor as a runner in all but special situations, but he can be a dangerous receiver out of the backfield.

TIGHT ENDS: Starter -- Desmond Clark. Backups -- Greg Olson, Kellen Davis.

Ten-year veteran Clark was the team's leading receiver among tight ends, and he refuses to go away, even appearing to get better with age. Olson flashed star potential as a rookie last season and is the star of the future, but he went long stretches where he seemed to disappear from the passing game, and he is not much of a blocker. The rookie Davis has loads of talent and great size (6-7, 262), but it remains to be seen if he will shed his "underachiever" label and do the blocking and the other dirty work required of the No. 3 tight end.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters -- Marty Booker, Devin Hester. Backups -- Brandon Lloyd, Rashied Davis, Mark Bradley, Earl Bennett.

It remains to be seen if there is a legitimate No. 1 receiver on the roster. Booker had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Bears in 2001-02, catching 100 passes the first year and 97 the next year before being traded to the Dolphins in 2004. Booker may be the go-to guy by default, but he is more of a possession receiver, although one who will make tough catches over the middle. The Bears believe Hester can become a No. 1 receiver in time, but for now he's still a project with phenomenal physical tools. He caught just 20 passes last season, but 11 came in the final four games, and he's a threat to score every time he touches the ball as evidenced by his record-setting performance as a return specialist. Underachieving Brandon Lloyd was signed in the offseason, and he has a lot of unfulfilled potential but Davis is the more reliable, consistent player. Bradley also has plenty of physical tools and he showed glimpses of greatness as a rookie in 2005, but he caught just six passes last season. Third-round pick Earl Bennett has an opportunity to play a big role if he learns the system quickly and doesn't get buried on a crowded but not extremely talented depth chart.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Starters -- LT Chris Williams, LG Terrence Metcalf, C Olin Kreutz, RG Roberto Garza, RT John Tait. Backups -- John St. Clair, Josh Beekman, Anthony Oakley.

The Bears are hoping first-round pick Chris Williams will claim the starting LT job, although St. Clair was the starter in preseason workouts. Tait has already made the move from LT back to the right side, replacing Fred Miller, who hit the wall last year in his 12th NFL season. Eleven-year veteran Kreutz has made six Pro Bowls but didn't get invited last season, although he is still one of the best. Garza is solid, but the left guard spot vacated by venerable Ruben Brown is up for grabs, and Metcalf gets first crack at it, although he's failed in the past when given opportunities to start. St. Clair started the final three games at left guard last season and could wind up there again, although he's the top backup at both OT spots. Beekman, a fourth-round pick in 2007, didn't get a single snap last season although there were opportunities. He could be earmarked as the backup center.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Starters -- LE Adewale Ogunleye, NT Dusty Dvoracek, DT Tommie Harris, RE Alex Brown. Backups -- DE Mark Anderson, DT Anthony Adams, DE/DT Israel Idonije, DT Marcus Harrison, DE Dan Bazuin.

Harris played hurt most of the season in '07 and his performance dropped off after seven sacks in the first eight games, but he is an elite inside player and was rewarded with a four-year, $40 extension in the offseason. There were high hopes for Dvoracek early on, but he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the '07 season opener. He also missed his 2006 season as a rookie with a foot injury but is a legitimate run-stuffer if he can stay healthy. The Bears believe they have three starting ends. Eight-year veteran Ogunleye is coming off his best of four seasons in Chicago, Brown is solid vs. both the run and the pass, and Anderson is a gifted pass rusher who slumped last season after a 12-sack rookie season. Adams can play on the nose or at the 3-technique, and he started at both positions last season when injuries pushed him up the depth chart. Idonije can play inside or outside and has the athleticism to help on special teams. Harrison can also play both DT spots and is expected to be in the four-man rotation. Bazuin is looking to contribute as a situational pass rusher after missing his rookie season with a knee injury.

LINEBACKERS: Starters -- WLB Lance Briggs, MLB Brian Urlacher, SLB Hunter Hillenmeyer. Backups -- Jamar Williams, Rod Wilson, Nick Roach, Michael Okwo.

Briggs has made the past three Pro Bowls and got a six-year, $36 million deal to stay. He's still in his prime and is almost three years younger than Urlacher, who disrupted the offseason with his efforts to re-do a contract that had four years remaining. He hasn't yet gotten the extension he wants, but Urlacher remains the leader of the defense and is still an impact player, even though he missed the Pro Bowl last year for just the second time in eight seasons. The unheralded Hillenmeyer gets overlooked, but he is assignment sound and a major contributor in the base defense. Williams is the best and most versatile of a young group of backups, and he may be the only one with starting potential. Wilson and Roach are undersized but both can run and have played well on special teams. Okwo got hurt too early last season as a rookie to prove much.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters -- LCB Charles Tillman, RCB Nathan Vasher, FS Mike Brown, SS Brandon McGowan. Backups -- CB Trumaine McBride, S-CB Danieal Manning, CB Ricky Manning Jr., CB Corey Graham, S Craig Steltz, S Kevin Payne.

The Bears found out how valuable Vasher was when the pass defense suffered when he was out 12 games last season because of a torn groin muscle. When Vasher and Tillman are healthy, the Bears have one of the better CB tandems around. Safety is crowded but unsettled because of the lengthy injury history of Brown, but if he can remain on the field, he and McGowan, who got nine starts last season, should be the starters. Danieal Manning has been a starter in each of his first two NFL seasons but could be the odd man out. He could also wind up as a key nickel or dime guy. Ricky Manning has been a valuable nickel CB, although he could become a salary-cap casualty after seventh-rounder McBride played impressively as a fill-in last season and Graham also impressed when forced into the lineup because of injuries. Payne showed promise before suffering a broken arm last season, and this year's fourth-rounder, Steltz, appears to have starter potential.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Starters -- PK Robbie Gould, P Brad Maynard, RS Devin Hester, LS Patrick Mannelly.

Gould is consistent and, so far, one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. Maynard is steady and the coverage units are outstanding. Hester is simply the best, although his work may be scaled back a bit this year if he becomes a bigger factor as a receiver. Mannelly is nearly invisible because he's so close to flawless.

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