When the Bears abruptly fired director of pro personnel Bobby DePaul, speculation immediately arose that G.M. Jerry Angelo was simply clearing a path for good friend and former colleague Tim Ruskell, who had been let go in late December by the Seahawks.
On February 18, we reported that the move was imminent. On February 23, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Ruskell had been hired to be the team’s director of player personnel, and that the deal was expected to be announced within the next 48 hours.
But something strange happened in the past six weeks. The Bears never announced the move. And the Bears have now told Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times (in response to our suggestion that the Bears are making a play for Seahawks guard Rob Sims because of his link to Ruskell) that Ruskell has not yet been hired.
There’s no reason for the Bears to wait. Ruskell had been preparing for free agency and the draft before he was released in Seattle; thus, he’d be a valuable asset to the front office. It could be that Ruskell’s contract in Seattle ran not through the end of the 2009 regular season but through the 2010 draft, and that the Seahawks have declined to release him.
Either way, Ruskell isn’t officially working for the Bears. But if anyone thinks that Ruskell and Angelo haven’t been comparing notes, please also keep in mind that Nick Saban is not going to be the Alabama coach.