What’s the Bears’ biggest concern on defense ahead of 2022 season?
It’s been an offseason of change for the Chicago Bears, who have ushered in a new regime under general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus.
While most of the criticism this offseason has been focused on the offense, there are plenty of questions surrounding the defense heading into Year 1 of the Eberflus era. The Bears certainly improved their secondary with the additions of Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker in the NFL draft. But there are other positions that have raised some concerns ahead of training camp.
Last week, we shared our biggest concerns on offense. Now, our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts on the team’s biggest concern on defense ahead of the 2022 season.
Alyssa Barbieri: Interior defensive line
Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Defense has been the strength of the Bears for most of the franchise’s existence, but there are plenty of questions heading into the 2022 season. There are a number of familiar veterans who are no longer with the team, including Khalil Mack, who was traded to the Chargers. But while it’s fair to say there are some questions at edge rusher, it’s the defensive interior that’s the biggest concern heading into the season.
During the Matt Nagy era, the defensive line was easily the strength of the defense. They had solid starters and impressive depth at the position. But Chicago lost three interior defensive linemen this offseason in Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols, which raises plenty of questions about the interior of a defense that is important for the success of a Matt Eberflus defense.
After Larry Ogunjobi failed his physical, the Bears pivoted to sign Justin Jones to serve as the three-technique. He’s coming off a career year with the Chargers, where he was the team’s most dominant run stopper. At nose tackle, it could very well be a three-way battle between Khyiris Tonga, Mike Pennel and Angelo Blackson. But Eberflus’ system is predicated towards rotating players to keep fresh legs, so it’s both starters and depth that are key.
The good news is the Bears hired a smart defensive mind in Eberflus who knows how to maximize the talent on his roster. It’s not necessarily a long-term solution for the concerns along the defensive interior, but it should help what looks to be the weakest position group on defense this season.
Brendan Sugrue: The new defensive line
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
It feels like the biggest strength and weakness of the Bears defense flip-flopped in the span of one offseason. In 2021, the defensive line was formidable with experienced pass rushers and interior linemen creating havoc for opposing offenses, while the secondary couldn’t keep up with receivers and were repeatedly gashed. Now, the defensive line appears to be a legitimate concern while the secondary looks dangerous with tons of young talent. It goes to show how much can change so quickly in the NFL.
Former stalwarts Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Bilal Nichols, and Eddie Goldman, faces of a defensive line that burned bright for a short amount of time, are now on other teams. Replacing them are players such as newcomers Al-Quadin Muhammad and Justin Jones, and holdovers Trevis Gipson and Khyris Tonga, all learning a new scheme under first-year head coach Matt Eberflus.
It’s a cliché at this point, but everything in football starts at the line of scrimmage. The defensive line has undergone significant change since last season ended and simply aren’t as talented on paper as they were to start the year in 2021. They whiffed on their first big free agent signee when defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi failed his physical, their new single-season sack record holder Robert Quinn seemingly wants out of town, and their nose tackle is far from solidified yet.
While they do have some potential breakout players in place, such as Gipson, this group makes me extremely nervous going into the season. If they struggle, it puts more pressure on the backside of the defense and makes everyone’s jobs that much tougher.
Ryan Fedrau: Continuous slow decline since 2018
AP Photo/Duane Burleson
It’s no secret that the Bears defense has declined each year since the end of the 2018 season. It’s hard to compete with the magic of their defense in 2018. They fell apart midway through the 2019 season and again in 2020. The offensive struggles with the Nick Foles-led Bears turned into defensive struggles.
Looking at 2021, it was more of the same. Though Robert Quinn had an amazing season, the Bears defense continued to decline throughout the year. If things continue to trend downwards, this is going to be an ugly season for Chicago. Defense will win them football games this season. If they can’t do that, 2022 will be a long year.
Nate Atkins: Pass rush
AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
Alex Brown isn’t walking through that door, fans. Adewale Ogunlye, Julius Peppers, and Mark Anderson aren’t walking through that door. However, the new Bears edge rushers are young (except Robert Quinn), exciting, hard-working, and going to improve.
The Bears haven’t been the “Monsters of the Midway” since 2018. After looking at this defensive end group on paper, they likely won’t rekindle any memories of Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks terrorizing quarterbacks. Excluding Robert Quinn’s 101 career sacks, the remaining seven defensive ends on the roster combined for 34.5 sacks.
Matt Eberflus’ scheme isn’t dependent on quarterback pressure which is unique since his Colts teams were near the top in forcing turnovers. However, for generations of Bears fans accustomed to seeing quarterbacks driven into the turf, this new regime might disappoint.
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