Eric Washington points to having an elite pass rush as key for the Chicago Bears’ success
The Chicago Bears’ defense greatly improved in the second half of the 2023 season. The addition of Montez Sweat was the catalyst for the change in form. Adding Sweat revamped an otherwise stale Bears pass rush. According to Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington, the team aims to level up the pass rush again in 2024.
The CHGO Bears podcast reports that Eric Washington has said the pass rush is a focus for the team going into this season. Here is what Washington had to say:
Eric Washington talked about his vision for this pass rush unit: "We want to build the best pass rush in the NFL."
Washington also said the unit has to be relentless and rush together to help make that happen.
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) July 23, 2024
You can watch Eric Washington’s full press conference below.
The Bears could be an elite pass rush away from having a top 3 defense in the NFL
The Chicago Bears secondary has already proved it is a solid pass defense unit. Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaquan Brisker, and Kevin Byard are all strong coverage defenders.
A dominant pass rush will also make the secondary’s job much easier. A pass rush that can hurry the opposing quarterback and can force him to make mistakes and rushed decisions. Those lead to punts and possibly turnovers.
Most of the NFL’s greatest defenses all start with a brutal pass rush. The Chicago Bears have their star edge rusher, Montez Sweat. He is the undeniable leader of the group. The Bears also have a rookie with major high upside, Austin Booker. Booker is still a raw prospect, but he has all the physical traits.
If Booker emerges as a starting caliber defensive lineman, the Bears will be scary to match up against.
Then comes the part Washington mentioned, togetherness. The best pass rushes are more than one or two players. The whole front seven needs to be on their a game. Having depth on the defensive line allows the rush to be relentless and always have fresh legs to put on the field.
If anyone can orchestrate the Bears pass rush into the best unit in the NFL, It’s Eric Washington. Here is an excerpt from Washington’s bio from ChicagoBears.com:
As a defensive line coach from 2011-17, he led one of the most productive defensive lines in the NFL. Since 2012, no group of defensive linemen produced more sacks than Carolina’s 219, part of Carolina’s NFL-leading 280 total sacks.
Carolina ranked in the top 10 in sacks in five of his seven seasons as defensive line coach, including a No. 1 ranking in 2013, a No. 2 in 2016 and a No. 3 in 2017.
Those Carolina defenses were of the late twenty-tens were scary. There was a sack threat at nearly every position. there wasn’t an offensive line in the league that could slow them down.
Washington’s resume speaks for itself. He is more than capable of bringing the “monsters” back to the Midway. The Bears will need to be monsters on defense again in order to win the NFC North. The NFC North is in the running for the most competitive division in the NFL.
The Lions were one quarter away from playing in the Superbowl in 2023. The Green Bay Packers have seemingly found another franchise QB in Jordan Love. The Minnesota Vikings have one of the most talent sets of skill positions in the leauge. If JJ McCarthy can become starting caliber or better, the Vikings will be dangerous.
The Bears are in a very unique position. After trading Justin Fields in the offseason, the Bears offense has been completely overhauled. Caleb Williams has the best opportunity to succeed as any Bears rookie has. If the defense can become an elite pass rushing unit, that will make the offenses job easier.
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