General manager Jerry Angelo was visibly downbeat about the state of talks between the Bears and agent Eugene Parker regarding a contract for rookie running back Cedric Benson. His mood probably isn't helped by similarly stalled negotiations between the Dolphins and running back Ronnie Brown and the Cleveland Browns and wide receiver Braylon Edwards, the players chosen immediately ahead of Benson.
The Bears could get some help from Edwards, who has received a major contract proposal from the Browns and was expected to decide Sunday night or Monday. If Edwards agrees, the players on either side of Benson then would have signed, with Carnell "Cadillac" Williams having signed with Tampa Bay. That would help define the market, though the huge deal San Diego gave No. 4 pick Phillip Rivers last year still is a factor.
Because he is a running back, Brown's deal all along has been looming as the potential peg for a Benson contract. But Brown's talks are as frozen as the Bears' are with Benson. Brown and agent Todd France are believed to have rejected a deal with $21 million in guaranteed money and $10 million in escalators.
