The Bears have agreed to a one-year deal with offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse, the club announced on Twitter. Ducasse will receive $80K in guarantees, per Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link), meaning that the 27-year-old probably signed for the minimum salary benefit.
Ducasse spent the first four seasons of his career with the Jets before joining the Vikings in 2014. Selected out of UMass in the second round of the 2010 draft, Ducasse never lived up to his draft pedigree, starting just five games during his time with New York. He topped that number in ’14 alone, starting six contests in Minnesota while playing at both guard positions. In total, Ducasse played in 13 games last season, totaling 417 snaps, but graded as the league’s No. 61 guard among 78 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
In Chicago, Ducasse will presumably act as a backup to both former Jets teammate Matt Slauson at left guard and Kyle Long at right guard. The Bears might not be done adding offensive line help, as recent reports have indicated they’re interested in free agent center Samson Satele.