With just 10 days until the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers help kickoff the 2015-16 NFL season, we launch our series of the most important Bears. Each day we will countdown the most important players on the Bears this season from No. 10 to the most important one.
Eddie Goldman
Goldman is the only rookie that appears on the list (spoiler alert), but the former Florida State star will be asked to play a big role in the Bears defense this season. With Jeremiah Ratliff suspended the first three games of the season, Goldman will take over as the nose tackle.
So far this preseason Goldman has impressed the coaching staff at the position. The 6-foot-4, 332 pound defensive tackle has made his presence felt getting good push against the offensive line in three preseason games. He suffered a concussion in the third game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, but hasn’t been ruled out of week one.
The nose tackle position in Vic Fangio’s new 3-4 defense is a key position to success. We’ve seen the Bears secondary struggle when there hasn’t been much of a rush upfront from the defensive line. That push starts with Goldman.
Being drafted in the second round, Goldman is expected to be the nose tackle of the future for the Bears. They elected to pass up rookie Danny Shelton who was raved about by scouts in the first round. Goldman can now make the Bears look smart for taking a chance on him.
Early on in his career, the 21-year-old has used the veteran Ratliff as a teacher as he tries to pickup on things quickly. Goldman told CBS Chicago’s Chris Emma what he’s learned the most:
“His consistency, how physical he is, and how he literally takes this as a job,” Goldman said. “This is what he does, and he’s so detailed in what he does.”
If Goldman can learn from Ratliff, he could be clogging up the defensive line for a long time in Chicago.
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