Unexpected Standout Of Bears Training Camp? Andrew Billings

The Chicago Bears made several moves this off-season. Everybody knows the popular names at training camp by this point. D.J. Moore is drawing rave reviews on the offensive side, as is D'Onta Foreman. Defensively, Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Tyrique Stevenson, and Gervon Dexter have all showcased why head coach Matt Eberflus and his staff are excited. Some other less-covered names, like Robert Tonyan and Noah Sewell, deserve attention. However, the name that might be the biggest surprise (outside Halas Hall) is defensive tackle Andrew Billings.

Chicago signed the veteran to a one-year deal worth just under $2.7 million. Nobody could call the move shocking. Defensive tackle was a huge weakness for the Bears in 2022. It made obvious sense that they would invest in it. Billings has played with three different teams in his career, earning a reputation as a solid run defender. Chicago had the second-worst run defense in the NFL last season. No one likely expected Billings to be one of the best players at training camp. Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago said as much.

"Defensive tackle Andrew Billings has been one of the standouts of camp. The Bears are pleased with how he reshaped his body in the offseason. That work has paid off, as Billings has been a load for Teven Jenkins, Whitehair, and Alex Leatherwood to handle."

Andrew Billings can be a disruptive presence.

This is something that was lost on people. They look at his last two years between Cleveland and Las Vegas and think he's nothing more than a big, strong dude who can clog running lanes. It wasn't too long ago he proved he had more pass rush juice than he got credit for. In 2018 and 2019, when he was still with the Cincinnati Bengals, Billings had 43 pressures, 11 hits, and 3.5 sacks on opposing quarterbacks. He's a better athlete than he gets credit for. The Bears felt reshaping his body to fit their attacking style might help unlock some of that.

It appears they were right. Justin Jones said the Bears' run defense is "night and day" compared to last year. Andrew Billings is a crucial part of that. At the same time, he's also making life difficult for Justin Fields. The quarterback has seen a lot of pressure up the middle in practice over the past two weeks. If Billings can carry this into the regular season, the Bears defense will be far more formidable compared to last season. It would be a welcome result for the man himself, as he's been stuck on some bad defenses during most of his career.