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The Bears have officially signed offensive lineman Frank Omiyale to a four-year contract that includes a $5.5 million signing bonus. Omiyale arrived in Chicago to take a physical and will address the media via teleconference this afternoon.

The deal is worth between $11.5 and $14 million for Omiyale, who played with the Carolina Panthers last season.

General manager Jerry Angelo said the team plans to use Omiyale at guard first. The Bears still want John St. Clair to return. St. Clair is an unrestricted free agent.

Fans might not be familiar with his name, but Omiyale's talent hasn't gone unnoticed.

``What people need to understand is he was backing up a Pro Bowler in Jordan Gross,'' said his agent, Mark Slough. ``There are a heck of a lot of left tackles in the NFL who would back up Jordan Gross.

``It's unfair to say Frank is a backup. Plus, there were 10 or 11 teams that were expressing interest in Frank.''

Omiyale, 26, appeared in 10 games last season with one start. He is capable of playing both guard and tackle. The Bears need a starter at right tackle and depth at guard, with Robert Garza on the decline.

``Frank is just a really hard-working guy,’’ said Panthers receiver Muhsin Muhammad, an ex-Bear. ``He came in and filled a couple vacancies on our offensive line, and we never missed a beat.

``He’s got really long arms. He’s a strong, determined player. And he’ll be one of those guys that is really good in the locker room with his personality. Just tell Olin Kreutz to take it easy on him.’’

The 6-foot-4-inch, 310-pound Omiyale entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons.

He appeared in one game in two seasons with the Falcons before being waived by Atlanta on Sept. 1, 2007. Omiyale, from Tennessee Tech, as claimed off waivers by the Panthers, but he was inactive for all 16 games in 2007.

This fills one of the Bears' needs on the offensive line. Right tackle John Tait is expected to retire.