Bear Digest

Edge Decision a Tough One Considering Who Bears Already Cut

Pro Football Focus' highest graded defensive player for Bears preseason was already cut by the team, so which of the edge rushers will survive now after the Darrell Taylor trade?

Gene Chamberlain

Daniel Hardy had 3 1/2 preseason sacks and remains on the Bears roster but for how long?
Daniel Hardy had 3 1/2 preseason sacks and remains on the Bears roster but for how long? / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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It seems a self-defeating move for a team with a pass rush need to trim effective pass rushers.

The trick lies in identifying said player.

It might simply be the inability of someone to understand the point of what the Bears are doing on defense. Or they've committed a huge mistake.

But the Bears cut the player who graded out higher than anyone in preseason on their defense -- at least according to Pro Football Focus.

For the four preseason games, no one on the Bears defense had a higher PFF grade than edge rusher Khalid Kareem, yet he was among the first to go Saturday when they trimmed back the roster to make room for new edge Darrell Taylor and defensive tackle Chris Williams.

PFF had assigned a grade of 88.8 to Kareem, better than any Bears edge rusher, interior lineman, linebacker, safety or cornerback on the roster.

He had an 81.2 pass rush grade, which trailed only defensive tackle Byron Cowart (83.2).

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PFF stats had Kareem at one sack, a QB hit and four hurries during his 114 preseason reps. Real NFL statistics had him at 12 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, two deflected passes and a special teams tackle.

It wouldn't be shocking if four of PFF's five highest graded defensive players in Bears preseason got cut. Linebacker Micah Baskerville  was second (87.4), safety Tarvarius Moore third (87.0) and safety Quindell Johnson fifth (80.8).

Kareem had been with the Bears since the end of last August, either with the practice squad or the 53-man roster. The Bears should know what he can and can't do by now and it's easy to see they assessed him thoroughly before letting him go.

Both of the pass rushers who have been the rage in camp are still on the roster. It's apparent Austin Booker will have a role and the question is whether edge Daniel Hardy will make the roster. Hardy had the 10th-highest Bears defensive PFF grade but led in sacks with 3 1/2. Booker had 2 1/2 sacks and the seventh-highest defensive grade.

The surprise might be how Dominique Robinson is still on the roster. He had the 37th-highest Bears defensive grade for 61 reps in preseason, or fourth from the worst.

Asked about using his defensive ends, Eberflus on Saturday didn't exclude Robinson and did not specifically mention Hardy.

"I think it will be rotational, I really do," Eberflus said. "We'll play that hot hand. I feel really good about all the guys who are out there right now, you know, Booker, Dom (Robinson), and D-Walk (DeMarcus Walker) and all those guys who are playing with Tez (Sweat) on the one side.. So we'll just make it a competition and see who is hot and let them rush."

According to PFF they already got rid of the highest graded preseason rush man, and they can only carry so many on the roster.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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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.