The Bears on Monday terminated the contracts of three vested veterans, defensive tackle Tommie Harris, linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer and offensive tackle Kevin Shaffer. Harris spent seven seasons with the Bears after being selected with the 14th pick in the first round of the 2004 draft. The 6-3, 295-pounder from Oklahoma became the first defensive tackle in franchise history to be voted to three straight Pro Bowls, but his career was derailed by injuries. Appearing in 104 games with 90 starts, Harris recorded 286 tackles, 28½ sacks, six forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, one interception and 38 tackles-for-loss. The Texas native was the Bears’ first draft pick after Lovie Smith was hired as head coach. Harris struggled at times this past season, registering just 18 tackles and 1½ sacks while starting six of 15 games played. He was a healthy scratch in a Week 3 Monday night win over the Packers and didn’t post his first full sack of the year until the regular-season finale in Green Bay. Harris was a dominant player before hurting his hamstring late in the 2006 season. He was placed on injured reserve and missed three playoff games, including Super Bowl XLI. Read more at chicagobears.com.
