People have talked at length about the problems at edge rusher. Problems that certainly didn't get better when Leonard Floyd left the Broncos preseason game on Saturday with a hand injury. However, the constant discussions about it have not allowed people to address another issue with the
Chicago Bears defense. That being how stacked their defensive line is.
Seriously. Everybody knows the team has two studs in Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman. What's been eye-opening is how many other young guys have begun to step up. Over the past three preseason games, the Bears defensive line has a total of eight sacks. Leading the way is emerging third-year man Roy Robertson-Harris with 3.5 of them.
He's looking like a runaway favorite to steal the starting job next to Goldman and Hicks. Yet it's not just him. Jonathan Bullard, John Jenkins, Nick Williams and even rookies Bilal Nichols and Abdullah Anderson have made a fair share of impact plays. Meaningful plays. There's talent, depth, and youth across the board.
Chicago Bears defense coaching staff has some hard decisions ahead
There are few things that can be classified as a "good" problem in the NFL. One of them is having too many talented players at one position. It means a team should be strong there going into the season. The problem is they're likely going to have to cut one or two guys they like in order to whittle down the roster to 53 men.
Who could that end up being? In these situations, it's best to look at the youngest players as probable sacrifices. Why? The Bears would be in a position to slip them onto their practice squad, enabling them to maintain control of the players in the event they wish to develop and add them to the rotation down the line.
These are the names that should be watched under those conditions:
- Cavon Walker (R)
- Bilal Nichols (R)
- Abdullah Anderson (R)
Smart money says Nichols cracks the roster. Not only because he's the teams' fifth round pick but also because he's making a lot of plays. The men who are in the toughest position are Williams, Jenkins, and Bullard who no longer have eligibility for the practice squad. That means these last couple games will be watched extra close by the coaches.
Despite this difficult task, the Bears are set up nicely up front on defense. Good thing too because they could be in a crisis situation all year on the edges.
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