Bears Defense in Familiar Role of Carrying the Team

DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW: Roquan Smith says they can be better than the 2018 defense because they'll have to deal with less scheme change, but personnel is entirely a different matter

Khalil Mack thinks the Bears defense can return to 2018 form.

Linebacker Roquan Smith wants something else for them.

"I know he said 2018, but I think we can be better than that," Smith said. "So that's our goal, that's our mindset to be the best version of ourselves, each and everyone out there."

Amid the concern over the Bears quarterback situation, there is one certainty regardless of the passer's name: The team will only be competitive for a division title as long as their defense retains the dominance displayed during the last two years.

The 2018 defense would be difficult to surpass considering they led the league in every major category except yardage, but last year's first defense under Chuck Pagano wasn't much worse than 2018 taken into consideration the difficult circumstances they overcame.

• Their own passing game provided little and left them with deficits.

• There was no running game support, which provided little ball control and less time to rest on the sidelines.

• New coordinator Chuck Pagano had changed the scheme somewhat.

• They had far more injuries than in 2018, including missing Akiem Hicks for three-quarters of the schedule and both inside linebackers for big chunks of the season.

"I feel like there's no ceiling for this defense," slot cornerback Buster Skrine said. "We're all together for the second year in a row, well with me at least, but there's no ceiling, man.

"Chuck is doing a good job putting us in the right position and I just feel like as a unit everybody is comfortable and we're ready to get this show on the road."

The changes to the defense might have appeared subtle last year, but Hicks believes the familiarity makes all the difference now.

"I would say this: Everybody’s a little bit more comfortable," Hicks said. "We have some things that we’ve been familiar with over the past year, so anytime that you get that continuity from your DC, guys just feel more comfortable.

"So I think that going into this season, we're going to be just a little bit more sharp on some of the things that we've tried to install and do over here for the past couple years."

A huge difference, of course, is the COVID-19 effect on preparation

"Our coaches were really detailed with the time we had to teach us the defense," Skrine said. "I feel like it showed. We haven't had many mental errors this training camp."

With Hicks back from a quad injury earlier in camp, the interior is restored, although less talented without opt-out nose tackle Eddie Goldman. If Bilal Nichols steps up in Year 3 as a nose, they could account for Goldman's absence. Also, with Smith in his third year now alongside linebacker Danny Trevathan, run support for the front line can be even more effective.

Having Robert Quinn join Mack and Hicks makes the pass rush potentially better even than the run defense. It depends on how quickly Quinn adapts to being an outside linebacker again instead of a 4-3 end.

"They made it easy as possible," Quinn said. "Coach Chuck, he makes the defense fun. So it makes it a lot easier to pick up the play calls. The transition's not really hard. Football's football."

The defense's biggest question for the second straight year personnel-wise is how well they make up for turning over two defensive backs. 

Jaylon Johnson came on strong at the end of camp and could be the starter at right cornerback opening day. The other safety spot seems to depend on whether Tashaun Gipson is healthy or they like their chances with Deon Bush better.

After practicing against them through camp, Bears tight end Demetrius Harris seems sold on that side of the ball whoever the other safety is.

"Just knowing our defense is a top-five defense, and knowing that we are going against them so anything we do successful on them I feel like we can do that against any defense, because that's a hard-nosed defense and the front is amazing," Harris said.

It's a debatable point there's no evidence to show the Bears defense, at its best, ever elevated its own offense in 2018 or last year.

The quarterback and running game need to stand on their own feet and provide support for a change to a defense which has proven as capable in the past as any at carrying a team through a season.

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