Cesar Tordesillas

The Chicago Bears have found a replacement for middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, signing former Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams to a one-year contract.

The Bears signed Williams for a base salary of $900,000 but he can earn a maximum of $1.75 million from incentives, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"We are happy to welcome D.J. to the Bears and are excited to start working with him," Bears general manager Phil Emery said in a statement. "This is a great opportunity for D.J. to restart his career after coming off suspension for part of the 2012 season."

"We see a player that has very good athletic upside who can contribute immediately at middle linebacker. He is also a versatile player who has played both outside linebacker positions, giving us flexibility in the draft," Emery added.

Williams played for nine years with the Broncos, starting 115 regular-season games and registering a career-best 141 tackles in 2007.

Last season, he appeared in just seven games after being suspended nine games by the NFL for two separate incidents.

Williams was suspended for the first six games of the 2012 season for violating the league's banned-substances policy after supplying a "non-human" urine sample during a drug test.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell added a three-game suspension after Williams was found in violation of the league's substance abuse policy when a jury convicted him of driving while impaired in a case that dated to November 2010.

The Broncos then released Williams in the offseason to avoid paying him a $6 million salary in 2013.

The Bears need to beef up their linebacker position after allowing Urlacher and fellow starter Nick Roach to leave via free agency.

Bears sign ex-Bronco D.J. Williams to replace Urlacher - NFL 2013