As the Bears opened their three-day rookie mini-camp Friday, Juice Williams was one of the high-profile names on the 54-man roster, although he was invited on a workout basis only. Williams would be the first to admit the transition wasn't exactly seamless as he sailed passes too high and missed some of his targets low. "Early on, it was a different,'' he said, "with the new concepts and stuff going on. But as practice went on, I felt a little bit more comfortable, like with the 7-on-7 drill. I just have to get used to the speed.'' Williams said he doesn't have a "chip on his shoulder'' after going undrafted. He just plans to make an NFL roster somewhere and is willing to switch positions. "Quarterback has always been my desire growing up, but if a position change comes around that's best for the team, I'm all for it,'' he said. "I'd play anything ? receiver, running back, anything.''

The Bears on Friday hired Tim Ruskell as director of player personnel. In 23 NFL seasons, Ruskell has helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks reach the Super Bowl and the Atlanta Falcons advance to the NFC Championship Game. Ruskell worked closely with Bears general manager Jerry Angelo with the Buccaneers from 1987-2001. Ruskell served as a regional scout (1987-1991), director of college scouting (1992-2000) and director of player personnel (2001-03). Angelo was Tampa's director of player personnel from 1987-2001. ?First and foremost, Tim brings a wealth of knowledge to the organization, both in personnel and how things are done at every level,? Angelo said. ?He?s experienced everything. ?He?s been in three different organizations and had success in all of them. I think he?s going to be a real good addition. We worked together for 14 years, and I think the commonality that we share in terms of how to build a football team will bode well not only for me but for the organization.?

The Bears have contacted representatives for free agent wide receiver Mike Furrey, according to a league source. Furrey is familiar with new Chicago offensive coordinator Mike Martz's system from their time together in Detroit and St. Louis.

The Bears have traded safety Kevin Payne to the Rams for an undisclosed pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Payne was a fifth-round pick of Chicago back in 2007. The move came one day after the Bears made a trade with Carolina for safety Chris Harris.

The Panthers and Bears are finalizing a trade that will send safety Chris Harris to Chicago and linebacker Lamar Williams to Carolina, sources told ESPN's John Clayton. Harris began his career with the Bears and fills a need for the team on defense. Williams is a restricted free agent that has been stuck behind Lance Briggs on the depth chart.

The Jets released guard Alan Faneca over the weekend and the offensive lineman and nine-time Pro Bowler will have no shortage of offers. "Who would not consider Alan Faneca if you had a need at the offensive line?" Chicago general manger Jerry Angelo said. "We'll look into some things like we did before the draft. We looked into Rob Sims, we looked into a couple of other guys and it didn't work out." "We'll continue to look. We do like the players that we have there. I think [Bears offensive line] coach [Mike] Tice has told us in our meetings that he's comfortable with our line, but again, we'll continue to look."

The Bears have re-signed linebacker Nick Roach to a one-year tender offer. Roach started 15 of 16 games with Chicago in 2009. He is entering his fourth season in the NFL.

Bears safety Danieal Manning is scheduled to attend his first voluntary workout of the offseason on Monday. "This was Danieal's decision to come in and participate with his teammates," Hicks said Monday morning. "He thought it was important to get in and get acclimated to the new climate, so he made up his mind and flew back up [to the Chicago area] over the weekend. Danieal just loves playing football, and he missed being around his teammates. For Danieal, missing those first few weeks was strictly business, because the kid loves playing football." Manning, a restricted free agent, initially stayed away from the voluntary program because he was unhappy over receiving the original-round tender.

The Bears signed unrestricted free-agent linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa on Monday. Tinoisamoa started two games for the Bears last season. The second-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2003 spent six seasons in St. Louis.

Bears tight end Greg Olsen is content with his role on the team and wants to remain in Chicago. There has been speculation that he could be traded because he's not a good fit in new offensive coordinator Mike Martz's system. No tight end under Martz has caught more than 38 passes in a season. He led Chicago with 60 catches in 2009 and his blocked has been suspect. "So far I have a great feeling about my role this year," Olsen tweeted Friday. "I have no desire to play anywhere but in Chicago. "That was purely media speculation."