Jaye Howard Was Blown Away By How Good Eddie Goldman Is

Jaye Howard could end up being the most underrated signing of 2017 for the Chicago Bears. The veteran defensive end was outstanding in 2015 for the Kansas City Chiefs but a hip injury slowed him last year. If his body gets right going into this season, the defense will have added a highly capable lineman to what was already a solid mix. None more so, at least in Howard's mind, than nose tackle Eddie Goldman. The middle man of the Bears defense still has high expectations from coaches and teammates. They feel when he's healthy, his impact up front is impossible to ignore. Like most nose tackles his size and strength help against the run. However, what sets him apart is his additional ability to generate pressure on the pocket. Howard noticed that almost immediately as he told the Chicago Sun-Times. In fact he sees striking similarities to another top interior defender.

“I didn’t know him until I got here,” Howard said. “But by playing alongside Dontari Poe [the two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle with the Chiefs], I can definitely see he can be in that same caliber — especially with the pass rush. They’re both big guys who can move well and disrupt the quarterback. Any time you can get that from the nose, you’ve got something.”

Nose tackle Eddie Goldman only as good as his health will allow

Indeed the tape backs up what he's saying. Goldman isn't just there filling space. He's forcing blockers to deal with him. Trying to run it in his direction? That's fine. He is almost always on the running back when they get close. Dropping back to pass? That won't work either as he's developing quite the arsenal of rush moves, which is amazing for a man who is north of 320 lbs.

It always comes back to his health. In the past two seasons Goldman has missed a combined 11 games with injuries to his lower extremities. Coaches, teammates and fans are praying he can make it through this year unscathed. Not only because injuries will stunt his growth further but also because his absence is noticeable for the Bears defense. In a prior article I explained just how much. In the six games he played in 2016, the Bears allowed 118.83 yards on 31.5 carries on average. That settled on 3.77 yards per carry. In the 10 games he was out those numbers ballooned to 123.7 yards on 25.4 carries for an average of 4.87 per carry. Howard is right. The impact he has and can have are tangible. It's about making sure he stays on the field so he can do it. If so, the Bears have another Pro Bowl-caliber talent in the making.