Offensive line: September 2008 Archives

Kirk Barton will not be returning to the Bears.

The rookie seventh-round pick, who was waived Wednesday to make room for veteran Fred Miller, was claimed off waivers this afternoon by the Miami Dolphins. He will join the Dolphins' 53-man roster.

Barton, a four-year starter at Ohio State, was the No. 3 tackle almost from the start of training camp with top pick Chris Williams being injured, and he played extensively in preseason giving the Dolphins and every other team plenty of tape to scout.

The Bears are planning to bring back offensive tackle Kirk Barton to the practice squad this afternoon provided he clears waivers, a league source said.

Barton was released Wednesday to make room for veteran Fred Miller.

After a month of talking with Fred Miller about a return to the the Bears, the club and the player have reached agreement.

A source close to the player said the 35-year-old offensive tackle will sign a one-year contract to serve as a backup offensive tackle and should be on the practice field this afternoon at Halas Hall.

Miller worked out for the Bears on Tuesday and after the team swung and missed in its bid to claim James Marten, a third-round pick from Dallas in 2007 who was released Saturday, off waivers on Monday, it apparently went back to Plan A and got a deal done with Miller.

The Bears might not be done reworking their offensive line after the trade for guard Dan Buenning last week.

In fact, they made a move for a tackle on Monday only to lose out.

The Bears placed a waiver claim for James Marten, who was released by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, but the the third-round pick from 2007 was awarded to the Oakland Raiders, the other team to submit a claim for him.

Dallas had to clear a roster spot to sign a fourth wide receiver, Mike Jefferson, for its game at Cleveland and the team's plan was to add Marten to the practice squad. It's interesting because in choosing to part ways with a high draft pick, the Cowboys kept 11 defensive backs. That gives you an idea of how he had advanced for them. Marten was inactive for every game last season, and spent some time working at guard this summer.

Offensive linemen can be a pretty reserved bunch. They never get too high, never get too low and typically let their actions speak for them. So Dan Buenning was about as excited as you'll catch a lineman Tuesday afternoon a short while after he was informed Tampa Bay had traded him to the Bears for the Bucs' sixth-round pick that they already held from the Brian Griese deal.

Buenning worked at center this summer and had more or less been fazed out in Tampa after a strong start to his career there which began when he was a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin in 2005. He was one of only four rookie linemen in the league to start all 16 games that season and looked to be a fixture for years to come. But then he tore an ACL on Thanksgiving Day in 2006 and when Tampa Bay went young at guard last season with Arron Sears and Davin Joseph, he was on the sideline looking in.

With Jeff Faine getting a big contract to play center for the Bucs, and with another draft pick invested in an interior lineman to add Rutgers' Jeremy Zuttah, who the Bears took a good look at before the draft, Buenning looked out of the mix. He became really out of the mix Tuesday when Tampa Bay swung a deal to acquire Sean Mahan from Pittsburgh.