By: Dylan Clemons

The Chicago Bears are best known to be a defensive-minded football team. Ever since their 1985 super bowl team that some say is the best defense of all time. Times haven’t changed now, the defense is still the heart and soul of this team. Matt Nagy came to the Bears as an offensive-minded head coach, but it has been his defense that has carried him his three seasons. In his three seasons as head coach the Bears defense has ranked, 1st, 4th, and 14th in points allowed.

The Bears defense has definitely taken a step back from being the best defense in football in 2018. But still have a solid group, that hopes to return as a top-ten defense once again. The first thing that new defensive coordinator Sean Desai needs to address is trying to find a way to create more turnovers. The Bears ranked 26th in the NFL in takeaways last season with only 18. That’s a far cry from 2018 when they led the league in takeaways with 36.

Sean Desai has been with the organization since 2013 and has worked his way up through the ranks. after spending the last two seasons as the safeties coach, he has been promoted this off-season to replace Chuck Pagano who retired. Now let’s jump into three of his key players who I believe are the most important for the Bears defense to succeed.

The Bears Need Eddie Jackson To Return To Pro Bowl Form

Eddie Jackson, Safety

Eddie Jackson is probably the most impressive draft pick by GM Ryan Pace. Jackson slid in the 2017 draft and the Bears were able to take him in the fourth round after breaking his leg in his final college season. The year Jackson really made his name in the NFL was in 2018, when he made his first Pro Bowl appearance. That season he returned two interceptions for touchdowns and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He was the definition of a big play waiting to happen on defense.

Unfortunately the last two seasons Jackson has regressed. I don’t believe that all has to do with him as a player, I think it had a lot to do with how Chuck Pagano was using Jackson. Pagano coached a much less aggressive defense than Vic Fangio did when Jackson thrived. I feel with Desai being Jackson’s safety coach for the last few seasons, he will know where to put Jackson on the field where he and the team will have the most success.

The Bears secondary is looking a little different nowadays after the departure of Kyle Fuller, a lot younger in fact. So the secondary will look to Eddie Jackson for that veteran support, and I believe he will deliver this season. There has also been talking this off-season that Jackson might play some at the slot corner position, with the Bears being thin at that position. If Desai believes that will put Jackson in the best possible spot to make plays, I’m all for it.

Jaylon Johnson, Cornerback

There is a ton of pressure on second-year cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who also struggled to stay healthy only playing in 13 games due to a shoulder injury. But when Johnson was on the field, he was very solid. According to PFF Johnson ranked 6th in incompletion rate at 21%. Johnson will come into this season as the number one cornerback on the roster after Kyle Fuller was released to create some cap relief.

Johnson showed flashes of already being a solid corner. Last season he had 16 pass breakups, which ranked 16th in the NFL. He also had the 13th best catch rate allowed in the NFL as well, very solid numbers from a rookie who was being asked a lot in this defense. This season he will be asked to do, even more, having to try and lock up some of the best wide receivers in the NFL.

Like I stated above in the Eddie Jackson part of the article, the Bears cornerback position besides veteran Desmond Trufant is very young. Trufant has also struggled to stay healthy during the latter part of his career. So the Bears need Johnson to provide stability on the outside. If he can’t the Bears will be relying on inexperienced cornerbacks like Kindle Vildor and Duke Shelly.

Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Defensive Line

So I had to cheat a little bit, it felt criminal to not put both of the guys on this list. Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman are the two most important players on this defense in my opinion. When these two are on the field together teams have a real big problem trying to run the football.

In 2018 when they were both healthy the Bears ranked 1st in the NFL in rushing yards allowed. Then in 2019, Akiem Hicks played in only five games, and the Bears fell to 9th in the league in rushing, which is still very solid. But then last season rolled around Goldman opted out due to covid-19 health concerns. In 2020 the bears rushing defense fell all the way to 15th with only Hicks in the Lineup. That goes to show how important Goldman is to this defense as a whole.

In my opinion, in order for this defense to become elite again, it all starts upfront with these guys. if the Bears can stop the run like they did in 2018-2019, sky is the limit for this defense once again. If the Bears can stop the run, it puts teams in long 3rd down opportunities. That is good news for superstar linebacker Khalil Mack, whose specialty is to rush the passer. This could set up Mack to have a bounce back after having two subpar seasons where he failed to record double-digit sacks. If all goes well, we could see the Bears defense get back to a top ten defense this season.

The post Previewing Chicago Bears Top 3 Most Important Defensive Players appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

A few short months ago I was writing articles about general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy’s impending firings, so I understand as well as anyone that a Chicago Bears Super Bowl run sounds a bit farfetched right now, but NFL franchises often flip the script overnight in this league and it can all start with one move.

Now I know I just finished saying that Chicago’s chances aren’t reliant on Fields’ immediate stardom, and they’re not, but his potential as a generational quarterback talent is certainly the conductor of the hype train.

Truth is, I have been against this regime for quite some time. The trade up for the unproven Mitchell Trubisky, the horrid playcalling by Nagy that seemed to stunt the growth of not only Trubisky but running back David Montgomery, the indecision at QB and the miserable ideas to bring in Nick Foles and Andy Dalton as “saviors” when every NFL fan under the sun knows that these veterans are no more than underwhelming game managers. Yes, I know Foles won a Super Bowl, but that Philadelphia Eagles roster was built like a tank and this Bears one is not.

It’s been a tough road for Bears fans ever since Vic Fangio’s defense (led by Khalil Mack) shattered expectations in 2018. Not tough like 1-15 record tough, but more “what could have been” tough. The knowledge that your putrid offense is holding back and possibly wasting a championship caliber defense is difficult to stomach (especially when you traded a ton of your future draft capital for the catalyst of that unit in Mack).

This defense has a window, and that window is closing fast. Mack is under contract till 2025, but his cap hit is exorbitant after 2021 (unless Chicago takes the potential out next offseason at a $24 million dollar hit). That 2018 group has already seen losses like Fangio (DC), Kyle Fuller (CB1), Adrian Amos (S), Prince Amukamara (CB2, age caught up fast here), Bryce Callahan (slot), Leonard Floyd (edge) and more. Mack’s departure could be the final nail in the coffin, sealing that window for good.

The emergence of a unique prospect like Fields at QB gives Chicago a shot in 2021, but there are a few other factors that have a Jets fan like me all aboard the Bears bandwagon.

1. NFC in Decline

With Drew Brees retiring, the NFC East in total dissarray, Aaron Rodgers wanting out of Green Bay, and the NFC West all beating up on eachother, there aren’t many Super Bowl favorites in the NFC outside of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In what has become a conference shift in strength, we now see a lot of the bright young quarterbacks in the AFC (Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson should he return to Houston) while the NFC is left wanting.

An Aaron Rodgers trade to a franchise like the Denver Broncos could totally blow the doors off this conversation. Not only that, it would leave a gaping hole in the NFC North with the Detroit Lions rebuilding and the Minnesota Vikings as a playoff bubble team at best. The Green Bay Packers are one of the NFC’s (and Bears’) strongest competitors left, and if there’s any truth to the rumors, that Cheesehead locomotive may have already flown off the tracks.

2. Phenomenal ’21 Draft

We all know about the Justin Fields selection, but the Bears 2021 draft went much further than that. Pace was drafting like his job was on the line and he answered the bell with some really solid picks.

Just after trading up to get the franchise QB, Pace was able to nab the left tackle to pair with him for years to come, in Teven Jenkins. Many thought the Oklahoma State Cowboys 6’6″ tackle would go in the first, but he slipped to day two and the Bears did not hesitate. Later on he bulked the offensive line again, drafting upside guard prospect Larry Borom out of Missouri.

One trouble area may be cornerback with Fuller gone, but sixth rounder Thomas Graham Jr. had sleeper grades from many analysts out of Oregon. The former Duck could help fill the void, but Chicago will also need something from 2020 second rounder Jaylon Johnson (just turned 22 in April), and free agent flier Desmond Trufant.

3. Key Vets Returning After 2020 Season

I wasn’t particularly high on the 2020 Bears defense, in part because I knew the offense would struggle, but also because some instrumental pieces were missing.

One major cog to account for was nose tackle Eddie Goldman, a 2020 COVID opt-out. Goldman had 40-plus tackles in 2017 and ’18 as one of the premier run-stuffers in the game. 2021 is only his age-27 season, so Chicago will count on the DT to return with avengeance after a year on the pine.

Alongside Akiem Hicks, Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn, this unit is still very formidable up front. The linebacker core also flaunts Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan in the middle, with free safety Eddie Jackson over the top. LB Christian Jones joins this crew, and they’ll also look to re-sign or replace strong safety Tash Gipson before preseason begins. Gipson started all 16 games with the Bears a season ago, and is currently an unrestricted free agent.

Let’s not forget the offensive side of the ball, as Pace held onto wide receiver Allen Robinson for dear life. New faces like Damien Williams, Damiere Byrd, Dazz Newsome, Khalil Herbert and Marquise Goodwin add some versatility to a group that needs to get more creative behind Fields and Nagy.

This defense may be slightly diminished from 2018, but it’s still pretty darn good, and this offense could theoretically become much more dynamic with a quarterback like Fields at the helm. Am I slightly worried that Nagy may just be a terrible coach? Absolutely. This is a make or break season for the HC though, so I expect him to pull out all the stops.

At the very least, I see the Bears as a playoff team again in 2021, but at +4800 odds right now on FanDuel Sportsbook, Chicago may just be the biggest sleeper pick to win Super Bowl LVI.

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