Bear Digest

Reported Bears draft need can indicate potential position switch

Matt Miller of ESPN reports the Bears consider defensive tackle to be a real need and if it's the case then it wouldn't be surprising to see one veteran player moving outside.

Gene Chamberlain

Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has made strides as a pass rusher and as a result it might not be far-fetched to see him line up at end.
Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has made strides as a pass rusher and as a result it might not be far-fetched to see him line up at end. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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One position on defense almost seems like it's becoming a bottomless pit for the Bears heading into this draft.

They keep adding players there and they still have people saying they need a player at the position.

At least this is the case if there is credibility attached to a report about team needs by ESPN's Matt Miller. It's either that, or perhaps someone on defense is getting a new position.

In assessing what the Bears are likely to do at No. 10 and what he has heard around the league, Miller cites the obvious Ashton Jeanty interest. They don't bring Boise State's star back to Halas Hall for a visit if they lack interest in him, that's for sure.

However, Jeanty appears to be in the crosshairs of teams drafting before the Bears. Besides, it's not this comment by Miller which should surprise anyone.

"Chicago has two second-round picks, so it could be aggressive and package them to trade back into the end of Round 1 if a desired pass rusher falls," Miller wrote. "That rusher could be a defensive tackle or an edge rusher, with the team viewing defensive tackle as a more pressing need."

The surprise line in Miller's comments is defensive tackle being viewed "...as a more pressing need," than edge rusher.

How many defensive tackles does a team need?

The Bears just signed Grady Jarrett. They have Andrew Billings coming back from a torn pectoral muscle. Chris Williams just signed his restricted free agency tender offer for $3.26 million, which almost makes him as highly paid this year as Billings ($3.32 million). Gervon Dexter is in his third season.

They also have Zacch Pickens, who fell out of favor with the Matt Eberflus regime in his second year. But it is a new coaching staff. They retained former Packers defensive lineman Jonathan Ford, a player they gave up a sixth-round pick to acquire.


The point of the Bears' defensive approach in the last three years was to get the offense in a situation where they could bring as many actual pass rushers to bear against the offensive line in obvious passing situations. Sometimes, they moved players to get an extra edge 

Considering their edge rushers are Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson and Daniel Hardy, it does appear they're shorthanded by a Day 1 or Day 2 edge rusher in this draft, and not a defensive tackle.

When they signed Odeyingbo, he pointed out he had played all up and down the line. So it wouldn't be out of the question to see him lining up at tackle in a pass rushing situation on occasion. He moved down and lined up 63 times in the A or B gap last year with the Colts.

So if they have all of those tackles and an end who can line up there in passing situations, why would they have a need for yet another defensive tackle? End would seem more important, and a visit they've reportedly lined up for defensive end Shemar Stewart makes sense from this standpoint.

One possible answer to the situation comes from the very first day they reported for offseason conditioning.

The team posted photos and video as they came into Halas Hall. Dexter appears to have lost quite a bit of weight. How much isn't certain, at least until media gets to talk with more of the players or coaches during minicamp or possibly next week.

Is Dexter being primed for a move to defensive end? If so, it makes sense why they would consider tackle a bigger need than end.

The 6-foot-6 Dexter played at 312 pounds last year but it wouldn't be a shock to see him at end if he lost 20 to 25 pounds.

Last year Dexter even lined up at end a good number of times in pass rush situations. He lined up over tackle 132 times and 12 times outside of it.

The rest of the time, 467 snaps, he was in the A or B gap inside.

If that was the plan, then it would be easy to understand how defensive tackle could be a real need.

When Dexter was cleaning out his locker in January a day after beating Green Bay, he was asked about the future and the type of scheme he'd prefer. He said he had played both 3-4 and 4-3 and it didn't matter.

Perhaps the real question should have been whether he preferred edge or inside?

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

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.