No Defensive End Help for Bears

Bears leave one major stone unturned after seven rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Bears GM Ryan Poles knew the question was coming after Sunday's draft ended, and so did coach Matt Eberflus.

When you went through an NFL season with a high of three sacks from a defensive end, it's inevitable for people to wonder why you didn't find a player for this position in the draft.

It seemed a little like a body shop fixing a damaged car but forgetting to put the hood on it.

"I think you want to fix everything immediately but it's got to work the right way," Poles said. "The right players got to be there that fit our scheme. They want to be here. So, we can't fix everything at a high level in one swoop.

"So we are aware of our strengths and weaknesses and we're going to be opportunistic. That's why we've done what we've done and we still have flexibility to do what we need to do to improve in different areas and if that's the area that we improve moving forward we do. If that opportunity doesn't open up, then we'll just continue to do what we're doing but there's also (a) draft next year and we've set ourselves up nicely for that, too."

TwTackles But No Defensive Ends

The Bears did bring in three defensive linemen, including Gervon Dexter of Florida and South Carolina's Zacch Pickens on Day 2 and on Saturday in Round 7 Kennesaw State's Travis Bell, but all are tackles.

Coach Matt Eberflus thinks his scheme can operate without an elite pass rush end, and proved it in Indianapolis.

"Yeah, I would say that the quarterbacks now, for the most part, aren't as big, aren't as tall, so their sight lines are a little bit less than they used to be," Eberflus said. "So I really believe if you have a nice (tackle) that can dent the pocket inside, I really think that that pressure is felt right away because they're closer to the quarterback.

"I think it frees up the guys, gives them one-on-ones on the outside when you have two guys in there that can really do that. We've done it in the past where we had guys on the outside that are bigger type ends, and we kick them inside just because of their length and they're going against shorter players, shorter arm players typically in there with your guards and centers. So we like that mismatch at times."

The big goal on offense was surrounding Justin Fields with more talent. Selecting tackle Darnell Wright on Day 1, then running back Roschon Johnson and wide receiver Tyler Scott in Round 4 may have helped in this regard.

"You want to support your quarterback," Poles said. "We all know that's where it starts. So you want to surround him with talent. We had to wait a little bit to do it the way I wanted to do it and the way we wanted to do it, and I think we found some good opportunities to do that, solidify and improve the O-line, make sure that we have the running game to stay balanced, and then give him different types of receivers and different threats to create separation from the tight ends to receivers so more big plays can be made and you can grow your confidence and get in a rhythm."

Now it's up to chemistry with this team, for the most part.

"It's got to come together, but I feel like on paper we've done a good job to surround him with good talent," Poles said.

Final Round

The seventh round of NFL Drafts is for taking a chance and the Bears took one with their first pick before picking a player at a need position one spot before the day's final selections.

GM Ryan Poles selected Travis Bell, a 6-foot-1, 310-pound defensive tackle from Kennesaw State at No. 218 to start the final round.

Bell can play both three technique and nose tackle.

"I'm self-driven, man," Bell said. "I'm a nasty guy. I'm a hard worker. The work ethic is out the roof. I'm a physical guy.

"At the point of attack, I'm physical. And I got a motor, man—y'all should expect to see me running sideline to sideline."

Bell said he patterns his game after Atlanta's Grady Jarrett.

"That's somebody I looked up to. I feel like we have similar styles, similar body type. That's one guy I seen dominate over the years and I feel like I can mirror that type of player."

Kendall Williamson, a safety from Stanford, was the final pick at 258, the next-to-last player in the draft. He is 6-1, 202, had one interception and 13 pass breakups playing both cornerback and safety over five seasons for the Cardinal.

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