The Chicago Bears won't get a really good look at newly acquired defensive tackle Brian Price until Wednesday at the earliest.
The new collective bargaining agreement requires a player acquired in a trade like Price to miss three-straight padded practices once they arrive with their new team. The first Bears padded practice is Saturday night. They also practice Sunday, but they are off Monday.
"Explosive," was the way running back Khalil Bell described Price. Bell played alongside Price at UCLA.
Price is expected to battle Matt Toeaina, Stephen Paea, and Henry Melton for playing time at tackle. Several veteran DTs signed in the offseason will likely get leapfrogged immediately by Price, who was the 35th pick of the 2010 draft. Those include John McCargo, Demario Pressley and Nate Collins.
Health is a concern with Price, since he had surgery to reattach both hamstrings to his pelvis before last season. It's a situation the Bears are familiar with, since Tommie Harris had a similar situation after almost three dominant seasons. Harris never was the same after the surgery, but already had knee issues prior to the injury while Price looks to have recovered.
Follow Bears reporter Gene Chamberlain on Twitter: @CBSportsNFLCHI.
