Bear Digest

Depth Might Be Biggest Asset Bears Defensive Line Lacks

Analysis: The Bears defensive line might have what it takes already without adding help, if the natural course of improvement over time takes hold on a group that finished strong.

Gene Chamberlain

Another pass rusher in the mix couldn't hurt the Bears but they might have what they need with just a small improvement by DeMarcus Walker.
Another pass rusher in the mix couldn't hurt the Bears but they might have what they need with just a small improvement by DeMarcus Walker. / Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
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When Bears coach Matt Eberflus addressed media after Friday's end to Week 2 OTAs, a good chunk of the time was spent talking about Montez Sweat's absence from voluntary workouts.

Eberflus insisted Sweat is interested, just not present.

"I'm not gonna get into all the numbers in terms of exact dates and when guys were here," Eberflus said. "But he's been in the building. He's been here several times during the offseason, and when he's in, he's locked in and ready to go."

The real concern is that Sweat is staying in shape to play after he had 12 1/2 sacks last year, including six in Chicago. It's not like he has something complicated to learn with the defense and is missing it, because he played in it last year for half a season.

"He hasn't been here for the last couple of weeks, as we know, so again, his whole thing is about having a consistent get off and then getting that base for the offseason leading into summer," Eberflus said. "That's really for everybody."

It's important because they're going to have an early start to training camp due to the Aug. 1 Hall of Fame Game, but also because pass rush and defensive line play overall is going to be the key to what they can get done on the defensive side. Improvement from within by each player in the second year running the scheme might be the key to making the defense dominant an entire season instead of just half of it.

Improvement from Montez Sweat

The pickup last year was dramatic for the Bears once they had a real edge rushing threat. According to Pro Football Focus' pressure totals, they averaged 3.05 more pressures and 1.25 more sacks a game than when they didn't have Sweat.

Those may not seem like big numbers but they are over the course of a game and season. More importantly, on a week-by-week basis they went over 15 pressures only twice in the first eight games and one was a gawdy 33-pressure day against Washington when it looked like the Commanders were walking in quick sand all night and Sweat was playing for them and not the Bears.

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After the trade, the Bears had only one of the last nine games with less than 16 pressures and it was the miserable finale when they had four in a game that meant nothing to them at Green Bay.

Sack totals and pressure alone mean little except for individual players to get bigger contracts. The team effect is what counts and before Sweat they had six interceptions in eight games. After Sweat the pressure helped get QBs to make more mistakes and throw 16 interceptions in the last 16 games. The Bears allowed 27.2 points before Sweat came to the defense. They gave up 17.8 after he came to the team.

Yet, the line is not comprised of Sweat alone. There are others. The lack of an experienced edge rusher to help Sweat and DeMarcus Walker seems like a flaw in the Bears' offseason approach and a reason why it's often though they'll try to bring back Yannick Ngakoue. But he wasn't very effective when he did play.

If they could get another veteran edge or even tackle who can have an impact it would help but it's possible the Bears have everything they already need on the defensive line.

Here's why.

Gervon Dexter Isn't The Only Key

At defensive tackle, they didn't lose much in terms of pass rush when Jones left for Arizona in free agency. He's being replaced by Gervon Dexter and last year Dexter actually had more pressures per pass rush as a rookie than Jones did in his fifth season. Dexter's pressure average per game was 9.8 with 297 rushes and 29 pressures. Meanwhile Jones' made 36 pressures for 487 pass rushes, or a 7.4 aveage.

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The Bears tried to get Dexter to not only lose some weight but add muscle mass.

"So the first step was where he could not come back in the same that he was when he left last season," defensive line coach Travis Smith said.

It's not just Dexter but also second-year tackle Zacch Pickens who they're counting on improving. He had pressures only 5.4% of pass rushes.

"He's going to impact the game more," Smith said. "It don't care run or pass because it's not always perfect up front. It's a physical game but it's not always going to be clean cut. As long as he is on their side of the line of scrimmage, playing with his hands, knocking guys back, throwing guys around, and we talk about that with the whole group, he's going to end up affecting the play and that will help him or someone else in the front or the back seven."

With the experience and possibly a boost in coaching with former top NFL defensive line coach Eric Washington added into the mix as the new defensive coordinator, the possibility for improvement from younger, developing players exists.

Neither of the young tackles graded out as well as Jones did against the run, but then gain, Jones didn't do well there, either. At least this was what PFF numbers said. Jones had a 47.4 run-stopping grade, Pickens 44.1 and Dexter 36.2. All are well below average.

The degree to which this is important might be questioned because the Bears were No. 2 against the run even with those low grades from defensive tackles.

DeMarcus Walker Better Than Analytics Suggest

The edge position opposite Sweat figures to improve even if they don't add another player. That's because Walker has played at a much higher level before than he did last year in his first year with this system.

PFF graded him only 84th out of 112 edge players in the league but he did finish first on the team in total pressures, although well behind Sweat in average pressures. His 47 pressures were a career high and his pressure rate per pass rush was 10.1.

It's still here where the Bears might need the most help on the defensive line but it doesn't have to come from outside. If it's from rookie Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson or veteran Jake Martin, it doesn't matter. Someone else besides Sweat and Walker to eat up pass rushes is essential for a rotation to keep everyone strong, healthy and productive.

Natural improvement from Walker in his second season with the scheme could account for some of the other edge rush they need.

"They are all competing to improve," Smith said. "There's not one guy that's allergic to work."

The improvement from within requires the work, and it's possible this might be all the defensive line needs after the way they finished last year.

The real problem with taking this approach to improving is the depth issue.

What happens if they lose Sweat for any period of time?

The thought of this alone is enough to scare anyone into believing improvement from within only works if there is someone brought in from outside capable of diffusing damage from a potential disasters.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.