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An Overview of the Chicago Bears Defense
For a team with a long tradition of playing great defense, the Bears have been through some rough times recently. They are trying to restore the roar. Chicago was horrible in 2022, giving up a league-worst 7.7 yards per pass attempt and a second-worst 4.9 yards per carry on the ground. They were even last in sacks with 20. The unit was not exactly good in 2023, but they did show significant improvement in several areas and seemed to be heading in the right direction.
The 2024 Bears defense was a mixed bag. They turned in respectable sack numbers with 40, were tied for eleventh with 24 turnovers, and landed among the top half of the league in points allowed. Those are positive numbers that tell us the team was at least opportunistic. There are, however, some serious concerns on the other side of the ledger.
Last year's Bears were tied for last at 7.9 yards per pass attempt and ranked 30th with 4.8 yards per carry. Those statistics showed up because they gave up too many big plays. Between pass and run, they allow 77 gains of 20+ yards, including 10 passes of 40+. After firing Matt Eberflus in November and hiring an offense-minded Ben Johnson as head coach in the offseason, the responsibility of fixing the defense falls to new coordinator Dennis Allen.
About the only thing Allen's scheme has in common with that of the previous regime is that they both use four-man fronts as their base. The previous scheme featured a lot of two-deep zone coverage in the secondary, asked the defensive line to play two-gaps much of the time, and did not like to blitz much. Under Allen, the Bears will employ a penetrating one-gap up front, send blitzers more frequently, and utilize a greater variety of press-man-to-man coverages.
When it comes to personnel, Chicago already had a fairly strong roster of players who fit the new plan, so there was no need for an overhaul. They added a pair of probable defensive line starters in free agency, and another who will contribute right away in round two of the draft. The Bears added some depth at linebacker in the fourth and at corner in the fifth.
Chicago Bears Defensive Linemen
No one should be happier about the coaching change than Montez Sweat. Except for an injury-shortened 2021, the 2019 first-round pick of the Commanders tallied at least seven sacks in each of his first four seasons. He was traded to the Bears during the 2023 campaign, which happens to be Sweat's best statistical output to date. After going 38-19-12.5 with 3 forced fumbles, 4 batted passes, and the second top twelve of his career in 2023, he could muster only a disappointing 18-14-5.5 with 2 forced fumbles in his first full year with the team.
The scheme change should allow Sweat to be more aggressive as a pass rusher, which is a big plus. The thing that still concerns me is the lack of a supporting cast. Sweat led the team with five and a half sacks last year. No one else at the position had more than three and a half. DeMarcus Walker, Jacob Martin, and Darrell Taylor had nine and a half between them; they are all gone. Unless someone steps up to take some pressure off of Sweat and keep blocking schemes honest, he could be in for some tough sledding.
The organization is counting on Dayo Odeyingbo to be that guy. A second-round pick of the Colts in 2021, Odeyingbo was considered a first-round talent on a lot of draft boards. An injury in his senior year at Vanderbilt caused him to fall. He seemed destined to eventually land a starting role in Indianapolis and made several starts over his four years there, but was never able to lock down the job. Instead, he spent most of his time as part of a rotation.
There are reasons to be optimistic about Odeyingbo. He has over 2000 snaps of experience, is a good run defender, and was 22-16-8 with 4 turnovers, on 622 snaps in 2023. There are also reasons to be pessimistic about him. An injury to Samson Ebukam made Odeyingbo a starter for the Colts over much of last season. His 745 snaps were both team-leading at the position and a career high. Instead of stepping up in a contract year, his totals were a disappointing 13-18-3 with a couple of forced fumbles and a recovery.
Unless someone steps up, we should not see a big rotation on the edge. Chicago is rather thin when it comes to talent and experience behind the starters. Their top three backups are Daniel Hardy, Austin Booker, and Dominique Robinson, who are all former third-day picks with no starting experience. The trio has a combined career total of 49-33-2.
Maybe the Bears know something we don't about Booker, who was a fifth-round pick by the team last year. NFL.com draft guru Lance Zierlein seemed to think so. Zierlein gave him a third-round grade, comparing him to Maxx Crosby. It's not hard to see where Zierlein draws his comparison. Like a young Crosby, Booker is tall and lanky at six four and a half, and 240 pounds, with a frame to add muscle and a huge wingspan.
Booker's entire college career consisted of 505 snaps. He redshirted at Minnesota in 2021 and played in six games with the team as a reserve in 2022. His transfer to Kansas in 2023 gave him the opportunity he needed. As a sophomore for the Jayhawks, Booker only made one start but played in twelve games, going 40-16-8 and forcing 2 fumbles. His rookie campaign was rather uneventful. Booker was 14-7-1 on 283 plays. Someone has to give the starters a breather. We'll have to see if Booker can make some noise during camp and land that job.
Under the previous coaching staff, Chicago's interior linemen were tasked with controlling two gaps, eating up blockers, and keeping the linebackers clean. To that end, they had a lot of wide-bodied space eaters on the roster. That is why they signed Grady Jarrett and drafted Shemar Turner.
Coach Allen likes his interior line to penetrate and disrupt. Jarrett has been doing just that for a long time. In ten years with the Falcons, he amassed 37.5 sacks, recording at least six in three of those seasons, most recently in 2022. Jarrett missed much of 2023 and got to the quarterback twice in 2024. While his sack production is up and down, hit tackle numbers remain consistent. Take out 2023, and Jarrett has at least 51 combined stops in seven consecutive years. He's only made the top-15 twice, but Jarrett has consistently been a dependable DT2 or excellent depth for us. I expect that trend to continue.
We know what to expect from Jarrett. It is Gervon Dexter Sr who is the most intriguing, though. At six feet six and 312 pounds, he creates problems for offenses. Quarterbacks can't throw over him, and blockers have a hard time moving him. Even in a two-gap system, the 2023 second-round pick managed 51 stops, 5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles, to finish 16th at the position. The new defense could make him a star.
Second-round rookie Shemar Turner could be the heir apparent to the 32-year-old Jarrett. Turner is a versatile, active tackle with a strong, violent playing style. He is a one-gap penetrator with a relentless motor and the potential to be a future standout. Turner's quickness, strength, and ability to play multiple positions along the defensive line make him a strong candidate to be the third man in the inside rotation as a rookie.
- Edge Montez Sweat – Target him as priority depth with second starter potential
- Edge Dayo Odeyingbo – Watchlist sleeper with second starter potential
- Edge Austin Booker – Deep/injury sleeper
- Edge Dominique Robinson – No impact
- Edge Daniel Hardy – No impact
- DT Gervon Dexter Sr.- Target as a low-end DT2 with upside
- DT Grady Jarrett – Dependable second starter with limited upside
- DT Andrew Billings – No impact
- DT Shemar Turner – Taxi squad target
- DT Zacch Pickens – No impact