Chicago Bears Defense Predicted To Have Another Bad Year

GM Ryan Poles invested a lot in the Chicago Bears defense this off-season. That includes three of the four largest contracts in free agency and three of their four highest picks in the 2023 draft. Together with anticipated growth from young players like Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon, it's not unreasonable to think the unit should be a lot better than last season. It's also the second year in the same system under Matt Eberflus and Alan Williams. Common NFL wisdom says improvement is coming.

That said, not everybody is buying into this idea. David Kenyon of Bleacher Report pegged the Bears as the 5th-worst defense going into this season. He also doesn't expect a big leap, largely because of the same pesky problem everybody else has mentioned over the past few months.

"However, the 2022 defense set an awfully low bar. Chicago finished 31st in yards allowed per play and 32nd in scoring.

Can't get much worse, really.

DeMarcus Walker is the lone player who tallied more than 3.5 sacks last season. Given the current personnel, it's tough to envision a defense that ranked 31st in pressure rate creating more havoc. The limited amount of disruption may be difficult for the Bears to overcome.

Chicago should be optimistic in the calculated approach that general manager Ryan Poles has taken, but the promise of a brighter future still likely requires a trek through one more frustrating year."

There is no denying the defense still has questions with their edge rusher position. Walker is a decent addition but not a top-tier option. Trevis Gipson disappointed last season. They still don't have that definitive three-technique on the inside. There are lots of questions left unanswered.

The Chicago Bears defense has reasons to still feel confident.

For one, part of their real issue last season was their run defense. People talk about the pass rush, but the Bears were still 17th against the pass. Not great, but not terrible either. It was stopping the run that was the problem. They were 31st. So it's no surprise they invested heavily at linebacker and defensive tackle. Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Andrew Billings, and Gervon Dexter should immediately boost that problem. Stopping the run will take away opponents' ability to utilize lots of play action.

If there is even a minor improvement from the rush, this Chicago Bears defense should see a jump in effectiveness. Probably not into the top 10, but certainly somewhere in the 15-20 range. Presuming the offense also takes a step forward, many of the close games this team lost in 2022 will turn into wins. The defense doesn't need to be great this season. It only needs to be better. That isn't too much to ask. Then again, we'll have to wait and see.