In the wake of the Bears’ abrupt decision to dump pro personnel director Bobby DePaul, there’s a strong feeling in league circles that he’ll be replaced by former Seahawks G.M. Tim Ruskell. (Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has noted that “speculation” linking Ruskell to Chicago already has begun.)
One source tells us that Ruskell recently had been calling G.M. Jerry Angelo “daily.” The two men worked together in Tampa before Angelo was hired by the Bears in 2001.
Ruskell received no buyout from the Seahawks; he left not long before his contract expired, presumably after being told that he would not be getting another one.
And so this move apparently has no bearing on anything DePaul has done. Instead, Angelo apparently sees it as an opportunity to acquire a trusted friend and ally whose carries with him all of the advance work he performed for the Seahawks in preparation for 2010 free agency and the draft.
DePaul, meanwhile, walks out of Halas Hall with the end result of several months’ worth of free agency planning, making him a potentially useful acquisition as the uncapped year prepares to launch.