Third-year head coach Matt Eberflus said Thursday night that he’s concerned with one unit on the Chicago Bears before the regular season starts on Sept. 8. The Bears have made improvements to most areas of the team since he took the job in the winter of 2022, but not all holes are filled.
The Chicago Bears have depth issues on the defensive line
The Bears have depth issues in a couple of key areas. The Bears are loaded with depth in the secondary and at linebacker, but the defensive line is troubling. There isn’t much pass rush off the edge beside Montez Sweat.
DeMarcus Walker and Daniel Hardy can offer decent reps, but they’ll be ineffective without Sweat on the field. Rookie Austin Booker has played well in the preseason, but he’ll face an entirely different test next month when he goes against league starters.
Defensive tackle is in worse shape than defensive end. Gervon Dexter and Andrew Billings are the Bears starters. Zacch Pickens and Byron Cowart are penciled in as backups. (Walker can be moved inside.) Pickens is dealing with an injury, and it’s unclear if he will be available for Week 1.
Matt Eberflus is concerned about defensive tackle
A reporter asked Eberflus if he thinks there is a concern about the Bears’ depth at defensive tackle following their preseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.
“It’s not as strong and as deep as you’d want for sure,” Eberflus said about the depth at defensive tackle. “There is a concern there, and we’ll be looking at that.”
Will the Bears add a defensive lineman or two next week?
Brad Biggs with the Chicago Tribune wrote this week that he thinks the Bears will look to add a defensive tackle following roster cuts:
None of those is outside the realm of possibility, but I’ll go with another position. I imagine the Bears will be keeping a close eye on defensive tackles hitting the waiver wire or veterans who are cut and immediately become free agents. The Bears always could flip a late-round pick for a player if it’s someone they project as a rotational backup.
Right now, they don’t have a lot of options, at least experienced ones, after Zacch Pickens. While everyone has focused on the idea of the Bears adding an edge rusher, I imagine they’re doing work looking at potential castoffs at tackle who could help them.
Eberflus’ answer on Thursday drives Biggs’ point home. Like last season, the Bears have issues on the defensive line. They have a depth problem at defensive tackle and a starter problem opposite Sweat at defensive end.
Now it’s up to general manager Ryan Poles to find the best player to fit one of those needs. He tried to land an edge pass rusher last week when the Bears offered the New England Patriots a third-round pick for Matthew Judon.
Does the front office have another trade cooking?
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