The Chicago Bears continued to add pieces to their defense on Tuesday afternoon, re-signing safety Craig Steltz and bringing in safety Danny McCray on one-year contracts.
The duo joins defensive end Israel Idonije in Chicago, as the long-time Bear rejoined the roster earlier in the day.
Steltz was drafted by the team in the 2008 Draft, and most of his contributions have come in the special teams phase of the game. During the 2013 season, Steltz appeared in all 16 games for the Bears (including one start at safety), and had 23 combined tackles on the year. His best game of the year came on December 1st in a game against the Minnesota Vikings, where he had 12 combined tackles in the 23-20 overtime loss.
McCray, who was an undrafted free agent, played the first four seasons of his career with the Dallas Cowboys. In 60 career games, he has 119 combined tackles and picked up a sack and a forced fumble during the 2011 season. He also has two career interceptions and three pass deflections in his career.
Neither player will likely be in the mix for a starting role with the Bears, but in both cases, they could end up being valuable pieces on a special teams unit that struggled in a big way last season. Steltz especially will be looked at to be an anchor for the club in that area, and the hope is that the team can regain some of the magic in that area that they seemed to lose last year.
