Oct. 06--With safety Antrel Rolle's availability for Sunday's game at Kansas City in doubt, the Chicago Bears are adding a veteran safety that knows the scheme.
The club is expected to sign Sherrod Martin on Tuesday, a month after he was released as part of final cuts. Martin spent training camp with the Bears and played in all four preseason games, logging 102 snaps on defense and 45 special teams snaps. So, he will be able to return to Halas Hall this week and pick up the system quickly with the team thin at safety.
Rolle left Soldier Field after Sunday's 22-20 victory over the Oakland Raiders wearing a walking boot on his right foot. He was rolled up on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter and said the injury felt so bad, he expected to look down and see his foot turned the wrong direction. X-rays came back clean and Rolle said after the game he did not know the diagnosis.
The Bears have only three other safeties on the roster: rookies Adrian Amos and Harold Jones-Quartey and Chris Prosinski, who was signed last week to help on special teams. Jones-Quartey replaced Rolle in the game.
Martin, 30, was originally signed by the Bears on June 18 after participating in veteran minicamp on a tryout. Originally a second-round pick out of Troy by the Carolina Panthers in 2009, Martin played in 13 games with the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, making two starts. Martin appeared in 59 games with 36 starts for the Panthers from 2009 through 2012 and has eight career interceptions. He sat out in 2013 following a torn ACL the year before.
It's not known what other roster moves the Bears will make. Center Will Montgomery suffered a broken left leg in the victory over the Raiders and he will require season-ending surgery. There could be multiple transactions.
