Where Indicators Point for Bears

The question facing Bears: Three Technique Jalen Carter or explosive outside pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.

Perceived interest by the Bears in helping their defensive line early in the draft and/or free agency is real.

Most early mock drafts have them selecting defensive tackle Jalen Carter and end Will Anderson Jr., and it's not simply because those two players are the top non-quarterbacks ranked near the top of the draft.

The lack of sacks in 2022 is obviously one reason the Bears need help here. When you get 20 sacks and only 9 1/2 from all your tackles and ends combined, then someone isn't getting the job done.

A defensive scheme emphasizing a four-man rush with little blitzing can't surive on 10 1/2 sacks by all defensive linemen combined. In fact, there were 16 pass rushers who had more sacks than all the Bears defensive linemen combined, so obviously they need help here.

The question then becomes which one comes at No. 1, the 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive tackle, Carter, or the 6-4, 243-pound defensive end, Anderson?

The System Fit

There is no doubt Carter would be a better system fit as a dominant three technique for the Tampa-2 style, but Matt Eberflus' defense is not a duplicate of the old Lovie Smith Bears system from 2004-2012.

They play more cover-3 than the Bears played in the Lovie Smith era. There is more movement of players within the system of linebackers, safeties and even cornerbacks.

Alabama's Anderson could easily convert as a player in the Micah Parsons mode. He's almost the same size, an inch taller at 6-4 and 2 pounds lighter at 243. On a given play, Parsons can be found moving all around the Dallas formation, from the edge to behind the line at a linebacker spot.

Most teams can make use of a player like Anderson as a wild card pass rusher and disruptor regardless of system because of his explosive potential for big plays.

He probably isn't as great a fit for a straight 4-3 Tampa-2 because of his size as a common defensive end. The defensive ends usually are a bit heavier and need to play within their gap of responsibility rather than give up the edge by selling out on the rush.

When the Bears last went to the Super Bowl using a similar system, both Alex Brown and Aldewale Ogunleye were about 260 pounds.

Supply and Demand

There is no debate about this: It is much harder to find an elite impact pass rusher/run defender at defensive tackle than it is at the edge. An interior player of that level of dominance can be more disruptive.

In 2022, none of the top 10 sack leaders could be called clear defensive tackles. Chris Jones plays both tackle and end. There were only three defensive tackles among the top 15 sack leaders and the top two are Daron Payne and Jason Hargrave. 

Both Payne and Hargrave are free agents and the Bears have more than $100 million in cap space. 

It's possible a final decision which way to go could hinge on whether they can come out of free agency with someone at either position.

Inside Out

The Bears play a scheme with specific goals as requirements of linemen.  Eberflus described it late in the season.

"So to me it's just been consistency and to me it starts up front and it starts inside out," Eberflus said. "So your tackles have to be dominant to be able to own the A and B gaps. That's very important so your linebackers can scrape downhill.

"Your defensive ends have to be able to set the edge so that the gaps don't get too wide and that's an important piece on the tackles. And they've got to be able to play back side. They've got to be able to stay alive, you know, the defensive ends. So that's what I mean when it starts up front."

Anderson doesn't quite seem the fit when this is considered. He is an attacking, play-making edge and not a mere edge setter.

Past Performance

Eberflus talked late in the season about the three-technique position and invoked the name of DeForest Buckner.

"We had DeForest at that last place," he said, referring to Indianapolis. "Obviously some of the most famous (three technique) guys are Aaron Donald, Warren Sapp, those guys are elite players at that position.

"We call it the engine that makes everything go because in the running game. You can't run at the three and you can't run away from him, so it's hard to really dictate where you're going to run the ball, No. 1, and it creates a lot of free lanes for your linebackers to run through in the run game."

The Colts didn't have Buckner initially in Eberflus' first two years. They had Denico Autry playing three technique. Buckner was acquired and had 10 tackles for loss and 9 1/2 sacks in his first season. The previous year Autry made 3 1/2 sacks and four tackles for loss at that spot.

Copying the Colts?

During this past season, Jones had three sacks and 12 tackles for loss. His 52 tackles was a decent total for just his first year as a three-technique tackle in a one-gap front.

"I thought he got better," Eberflus said. "I thought he improved every single week, and I thought at the end of the year he was playing better in terms of his gap control, in terms of his penetration, playing the blocks in the run game, and then the pass rush.

"He's still learning his fastball and he's doing a good job of that. Again, I thought he had a really good year and I thought he started to really improve at the end."

Yet, they slid him to the outside at the end of the year and looked at him playing defensive end. 

Curiously, when the Colts bought in Buckner and then moved Autry to end, their whole defensive line worked better. 

Autry produced nine tackles for loss and 7 1/2 sacks at end.

Is history about to repeat itself with a dominant three technique coming to Chicago in the draft and Jones switching positions?

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