2021 Defensive Situation

 

   News that the Bears will be without their DL coach Jay Rodgers is a shame. A positive note was the promotion of their current DBs coach Sean Desai to Defensive coordinator, a known face to the players and organization for many years with knowledge of Vic Fangio’s playcalling looks like an excellent choice, he will keep a good group of guys to work with for next season.

DL

   . Bilal Nichols has taken another step forward as a pass rusher, Pace made a good signing in Mario Edwards Jr. who flashed good pass rushing ability as well and should be someone to consider getting back and if Eddie Goldman chooses to play next year then the Bears should be solid at IDL even if Roy Robertson Harris doesn’t return, I would prefer for another team to sign him and see if it can get the Bears a compensatory pick for 2022. Akiem Hicks could be in danger of being cut because of cap space issues the team is facing, it would hurt to lose him although the injuries may be starting to wear him down a bit. If it weren’t for the money that is critically needed on other areas of the roster, moving away from Hicks wouldn’t even be a thought, he still plays hard and pushes the other guys to do the same.

 

OLB

   The brilliance of the Khalil Mack trade is fading away thanks to the poor play of the offensive side of the ball. Robert Quinn couldn’t help the sack department get better which doesn’t make this group look good even when it’s probably not all their fault. Mack and Quinn are aged veterans who are still playing at their top performance but for how long? Pace made another good signing by getting Barkevious Mingo who played great as a backup, but he’s already at his 30s. Youngsters James Vaughters and Trevis Gipson made a few good plays with the limited snaps they took and looked promising. This group is solid as well if they retain Mingo, but the defensive play calling and the offense need to change/get better to help improve the pass rush. There is a rumor going on that the Bears might switch to play more 40 front, don’t know where this rumor came from when there wasn’t even a defensive coordinator and still no DL coach, but even if it’s true it won’t matter with the players the Bears have at the Dline, Mack and Quinn have experience as DEs. Goldman and Nichols are a good DT duo or it could be Hicks and Goldman which I already know how good they can be together. Only thing I would change my mind on if this would happen is to try bringing back RRH to play DE, Gipson has the built for the DE positoin but I’m not sure if Vaughters could handle it.

 

ILB

   This is where it gets ugly, Danny Trevathan started really bad and as the season went on he started to get his legs back a bit, still he seems to be getting slower which is not good when his best strength was his cover skills, he can still read and react but he is struggling to keep up with the play and this year he missed his assignments quite a few times. Roquan Smith has gotten better even if he still missed some tackles, he was everywhere and always near the ball carrier. The backups don’t really make me feel safe, Josh Woods got playing time due to Smiths injury and didn’t look good at all, so there is need for someone to eventually replace Trevathan and have some better depth on the position.

 

DB

   The secondary lacked imagination and the Dline lacked sufficient hustle to force erratic throws from opposing QBs, but the turnover department was a lack of focus, too many dropped opportunities cost them probably a pair of wins, not like it would have mattered much but still turnovers should always be accepted with open arms. Jaylon Johnson was as advertised as a day one starting CB who made some rookie mistakes but also flashed great potential, maybe he can replace Kyle Fuller once he is done but for the time being it looks like the Bears have their outside CBs set. Slot CB is another thing, Buster Skrine really struggled and backups Kindle Vildor and Duke Shelley where inconsistent to say the least, they may get better in time but it’s never a bad idea to have more good CBs. Eddie Jackson had a very criticized season because of dropped interceptions and missed tackles, I believe he was the most victimized by Pagano’s scheme and could bounce back with Desai calling plays. Tashaun Gipson was solid and was another good signing by Pace. It’s been two years of getting a new guy at SS and has worked but will it be the same this year? I wouldn’t use a high pick for a S this year but gambling in getting another good S in free agency for a third time feels like pushing your luck a tad too much.

 

ST 

   Thank you, Cairo Santos, for not making me miss Robbie Gould for one season, sadly it was that kind of season where it didn’t matter that you had one of the best kickers of the season because your offense played like crap.