The plan is for Gaines Adams to make his debut for the Bears on Sunday at Cincinnati, but exactly how that will be executed remains to be seen.

The first question is whose place on the 45-man gameday roster will he take? Adams was one of three linemen inactive last Sunday at Atlanta, joining tackle Matt Toeaina and rookie swing man Jarron Gilbert. it would seem unlikely the team will sit down any of the linemen who played vs. the Falcons--tackles Tommie Harris, Anthony Adams, Marcus Harrison and israel Idonije, and ends Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson. Of course, if Harris' left knee remains an issue--he's missed practice the last two days--it could be him.

Otherwise, it looks as if Lovie Smith might have to choose between some reserve defensive backs or wide receiver Devin Aromashodu, who was active against the Falcons for the first time. Based on the special teams use of the defensive backs--Josh Bullocks, Corey Graham, Craig Steltz--our guess would be Aromashodu. But it's just a guess.

What will the Bears have in store for Adams?

The addition of a young pass rusher in Gaines Adams might not have made some of the veteran defensive ends very happy, but it cost one his job.

Ervin Baldwin, a seventh-round draft pick in 2008 from Michigan State, was released from the practice squad today, his agent reported.

Baldwin was signed to the 53-man roster last season when the Kansas City Chiefs tried to sign him off the Bears' practice squad, and he remained a project.

The Bears may discover later today the fate of Pisa Tinoisamoa, who re-injured his right knee in Sunday's loss at Atlanta.

Tinoisamoa left the field on a cart and admitted he wasn't in good shape after the game as he hobbled around the locker room. He underwent an MRI on Monday, and is believed to have a damaged meniscus.

Whether or not the veteran strong-side linebacker can return this season depends on the seriousness of the injury. If it's a minor tear, he could have surgery and be back up and running in a few weeks. He missed three games with a torn posterior cruciate ligament. If the injury is more serious, he could be looking at possible microfracture surgery, and that would unquestionably wipe out his season.

ATLANTA--Time will tell, but it could prove to be one of the most productive scouting trips of general manager Jerry Angelo's career.

He was headed to Tampa last week to scout the South Florida-Cincinnati game, and after some initial discussions with Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik, who was groomed for a time under Angelo, they agreed to meet face-to-face. That is how the trade on Friday for defensive end Gaines Adams got done with the Bears shipping out their second-round draft pick in 2010 for the No. 4 pick in the 2007 draft.

Angelo understands that Adams, who will not be active for tonight's game against the Falcons, is being labeled a bust in Tampa. They said the same thing about Cedric Benson, who he drafted fourth overall in 2005.

"I have seen situations like that,'' he said. "You get a few position coaches and a scheme change, the fourth pick in the draft, big fish bowl not living up to expectations. Hey, I have been part of it. We've seen it. We feel very strongly about our scheme, we feel very strongly about our coaches, we feel very strongly about the way we evaluate players. We did all of our due diligence and we felt like we're going to make this happen. There are risks to a draft pick, there is risk to this. I'm just hoping he is coming in here wanting to be a great player. If he is, I feel like we have all the tools to facilitate him coming to fruition.''

Angelo understands it probably didn't make the guys already in the Bears defensive line room happy. Adams will join a rotation that right now is Alex Brown-Adewale Ogunleye-Mark Anderson. It's not that he's unhappy with any of those players, and, yes, Ogunleye and Anderson could both return next season.

"I'm sure I didn't make any friends over this with the defensive line,'' Angelo said. "But I like them all. I just feel like you can't have enough of them. Unlike the offensive line, you play a lot of defensive linemen. We have a rotation. It's a pretty good rotation. He is hopefully another player that is going to add to the mix. It starts with the front, you know that, both on the offensive and defensive lines. I just felt like the value of what he does was too great not to take advantage of this opportunity.

"I'm not anticipating us doing anything with anybody other than what they are already doing. We just got another guy to be in the mix. It's a second-round draft pick. Does he have to be special? He doesn't have to be special. He has to be a good rank-and-file player we can win with. His position, and I can't minimize this, has tremendous value in our scheme. That had a lot of weight in our decision. These guys aren't easy to find and when you get an opportunity to potentially get one, you act on it."

The trade for defensive end Gaines Adams on Friday turned into a loss for tight end Michael Gaines today.

The veteran tight end is the player the Bears released in order to create a roster spot for their new pass rusher. It's not a shocking move, although the Bears could have also picked from some rookies who do not figure to see action this season. Gaines was one of the final players to make the 53-man roster as a fourth tight end. He didn't have a role on special teams like Kellen Davis, the third tight end, and opportunities for him to play as an H-back type didn't really materialize. Gaines, who was signed on May 12 was inactive for two games and appeared as a sub only in the Seattle game.

This leaves the Bears with three tight ends, which is what most teams typically carry. Gaines' base salary was $650,000, so the remaining amount on it will cover about half of what Adams is earning this season, the pro-rated amount of $900,000. Gaines received a $250,000 signing bonus and a $100,000 roster bonus. His base salary was $650,000 and as a vested veteran he is eligible to put in for termination pay and receive the entire amount, which would be 11 remaining weeks of pay.

Spoke to a league source Friday night who has had a close watch on the career of Gaines Adams.

Here is what he had to say about the defensive end the Bears acquired for their 2010 second-round draft pick:

"He hasn't really developed yet and he's not a great player. For the fourth pick in the draft, yeah, he's a bust. But I think a change of scenery will help him. He's a guy who needs someone to motivate him. He needs to develop his body. He looks like a basketball player. But he looks good coming off the ball sometimes. He can be better. He shows flashes. You can see the talent there. It will be interesting to see what he does.''

Here are Adams' career numbers:

2009 5 games 5 starts 10 tackles 8 solos 1 sack 2 passes defended

2008 16 games 16 starts 38 tackles 27 solos 6.5 sacks 6 passes defended 2 INT 1 TD

2007 16 games 8 starts 38 tackles 28 solos 6 sacks 2 passes defended 2 forced fumbles

Gaines Adams will arrive from Tampa this morning to take his physical, and then it could be back on a plane for him to head to Atlanta with the Bears. The team is scheduled to leave Halas Hall before 2 p.m. The team will have to make a roster move before then in order to clear a spot for Adams on the 53-man roster. I speculated here about some players who could potentially be released to make room for Adams.

His comments about the trade, his new team, working with Rod Marinelli and more are in the main story here.

Now, let's take a spin around the Internet and see what they are saying about the second big trade in two weeks in the NFL. Cleveland dealing wide receiver Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets got things started last week.

Kevin Seifert at ESPN.com writes about the transformation of general manager Jerry Angelo, who barring a trade will go without first- and second-round picks for the second straight draft. Angelo traded out of the second round this past April. It used to be Angelo's draft picks were next to untouchable.

Pat Yasinskas, also at ESPN.com, reports that Stylez G. White is likely to take over for Adams in the starting lineup for the Buccaneers. if that name doesn't sound familiar, it should. He was with the Bears in training camp in 2005. That is when he was the pass rusher known as Greg White.

Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times reports that first-year Bucs general manager Mark Dominik said Thursday, "When we're not getting consistent play out of an area, we've been making changes. And that could continue." Talk about foreshadowing. The trade gives Tampa four picks in the first three rounds of he 2010 draft.

Now that the dust has settled, sort of, on the Gaines Adams trade, let's examine the roster move the Bears will have to make Saturday to add him to the 53-man roster.

Adams will come aboard after he passes his physical Saturday morning after arriving from Tampa. The Bears will have to release a player to make room, and with no significant injuries it is unlikely anyone will be placed on injured reserve. The club has not announced its intentions.

You don't have to look too far to find some candidates. We'll list some possibilities with a reason why they could be cut, and a reason for them to stick around. This list is in alphabetical order, not the order in which I see it playing out. Go ahead and make your own choice known.

Josh Bullocks. Why: The Bears have an excess with five safeties on the roster. Why not: Bullocks is starting to figure into the special teams mix, especially this week with running back Adrian Peterson out with a knee injury.

Michael Gaines. Why: The fourth tight end was a luxury to make the 53-man roster and he's barely been used. Why not: The broken rib suffered by Desmond Clark is a clear sign of how tough it is to keep players healthy at this position.

Juaquin Iglesias. Why: The third-round pick has yet to be active this season and did not perform well in training camp and preseason. Why not: He's a third-round pick and Jerry Angelo is unlikely to give up on a third rounder when he just traded a second-round pick.

Lance Louis. Why: He's a project who was one of the final players to make the roster and could probably be waived and re-signed to the practice squad. The misdemeanor assault charge against him in San Diego doesn't help. Why not: Louis is a young lineman who was used at guard and tackle in preseason, and the Bears need to develop youth on the line.

Darrell McClover. Why: The Bears are starting to get healthy at linebacker and he plays a role on special teams only. He was added just three weeks ago and would seem to be expendable as a seventh linebacker. Why not: The Bears added him because they needed a boost on special teams. Adams might add to the defense, but he's not going to help special teams.

D.J. Moore. Why: Moore has yet to be active and if the rookie fourth-round pick cannot carve out a role for himself on special teams, he's not going to contribute this season. Generously listed at 5-9, he's not big enough to be an every-down cornerback any way. Why not: Like Iglesias, Angelo doesn't want to get rid of a draft pick when he just traded one away to weaken his 2010 draft. Moore sticks because he's a developmental project.

Matt Toeaina. Why: Adding Adams gives the Bears 10 defensive linemen and Toeaina is the least used of the bunch. Why not: Tackles are impossible to find this time of year and just like you can't have too many pass rushers, you can't have too many tackles. He's needed for depth.

Gaines Adams had no idea that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were considering trading him when he received the call tonight that he was headed to the Bears.

"First of all, I want to thank the Buccaneers for giving me the opportunity, and for picking me in the draft,'' Adams told the Sun-Times. "This is the nature of the beast, though, and this is a new start for me. I wish them the best of luck and I am just glad to be a Bear.''

The fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Adams had 12 1/2 sacks for the Buccaneers in his first two seasons playing in the Tampa Two, the same defensive scheme he will find here. Adams is flying to Chicago Saturday in time to make the trip with the team to Atlanta Saturday night. He is eligible to play Sunday, and the Bears will have to cut a player Saturday to make room for Adams.

Adams had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown vs. the Bears at Soldier Field last season, but five of his career sacks have come vs. the Falcons, so the Bears might just consider plugging him in on the fly like the Oakland Raiders did with Richard Seymour after they acquired him at the start of the season. The jump in the standings--the Bucs are 0-5 and the Bears are 3-1--was refreshing.

"Obviously, with the team I was with, the record shows and obviously stepping into a new team, I'm going to a good position with the Bears,'' Adams said. "I am going to try to make the best of it.

"I'm just trying to get up there first and just trying to get their playbook and get all of the little things taken care of and hopefully go out and play Sunday."

First-year Bucs coach Raheem Morris had been critical of Adams back in training camp and then at the start of the season. He had one sack in Tampa's loss at Washington, and he's been playing both right and left ends.

The Bears didn't trade for Terrell Owens, but they did make a trade tonight for a young pass rusher that will be given to defensive line coach Rod Marinelli to develop.

General manager Jerry Angelo traded his second-round draft pick in 2010 for Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Gaines Adams, who had fallen out of favor with first-year coach Raheem Morris.

Adams, a first-round draft pick in 2007, had 12 1/2 sacks through his first two seasons. He was drafted by the Bucs to play in the Tampa Two scheme, and now the Bears have some youth moving forward at the position with Adewale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson coming out of contract after this season. The Bears are looking at Adams to help now though.