Bilal Nichols Assuming a More Critical Role

As a defensive lineman the Bears developed from draft to starter, Bilal Nichols appears poised to cement his position based on last year's leap forward.

One by one the supporting players on the Bears defensive line have either left or been dispatched.

First, it was Jonathan Bullard who was cut. Then, Nick Williams left for Detroit in free agency.  This offseason they lost Roy Robertson-Harris.

It's now a contract year for Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols, and in this case Nichols could be the one remaining in Chicago in 2022. 

Counting against Hicks is his age and salary cap level, but even if both return the reason the Bears could decide to keep Nichols has little to do with salary. 

The guy can flat-out play and proved it last season. 

Bilal Nichols was the #Bears highest-graded player against the Vikings

He led the defense with 5 pressures on Kirk Cousins pic.twitter.com/9brzg76srV

— PFF CHI Bears (@PFF_Bears) December 21, 2020

A fifth-round pick from Delaware, Nichols last year surged in the second half of his third season to fulfill the promise he showed as a playmaker in his rookie year of 2018. 

"I'm really just the most proud of the way I handled myself all year, being a guy that can be counted on to play different roles, being a guy that be counted on to make plays when we need them," Nichols said after the end of the season. "I'm just proud of myself. 

"It's a great feeling to see that all the hard work I put into the offseason, it was able to pay off this year. So that was the biggest thing to me."

Nichols last season showed he could not only play defensive end, but also nose tackle. The Bears already knew he could play a three-technique role in their four-man line during pass-rush situations but they didn't need him to perform this as often after Mario Edwards Jr. came through in that role. He still played it some, though.

I was disappointed secondary guys weren’t there as scheme under Dasai will be different compared to last 2yrs. Also, would’ve been a sign of respect to him to show. It’s not nothing, but I don’t think it’s major either…

— Andy O'Halek (@aohalek) June 3, 2021

The snaps at nose tackle amounted to his first extensive exposure to the position. He might be a bit undersized for it compared to other defensive linemen the Bears put at this spot, like Eddie Goldman and Jonathan Jenkins, but still was big enough to help them improve their run-stopping ability in the second half of the year.

So, Nichols was all over the defensive front making career-high totals of five sacks, 13 quarterback hits, 40 tackles and seven tackles for loss. He also had a career-high three deflected passes and his first career interception.

The Bears appear to have made a steal in the 2018 draft with Nichols, considering he was a Day 3 selection. 

Consistency might be the next step for Nichols if he's to show he can be the one home-grown defensive lineman who develops and is retained for a larger contract after players like Robertson-Harris, Bullard and Williams had shorter stays.

Bilal Nichols at a glance

Career: 95 tackles, eight sacks, 22 quarterback hits, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception.

2020: 40 total tackles, 16 solo, five sacks, 13 quarterback hits, three passes deflected, one interception.

The number: 618. Nichols played 618 snaps, 58% of the defensive snaps on the season and 173 more than he'd played his first two seasons. His high prior to this was 2019 with 445 (41%).

2021 projection: 37 tackles, four sacks, 12 quarterback hits, one forced fumble, 2 pass deflections. 

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven