Chicago Bears Players Who May Benefit With New Defense

With the Chicago Bears looking to move to a different defensive scheme, the talk is all about which current players don’t fit and may struggle. Today, I will go over some players who may actually flourish with the new scheme.

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It is widely thought that with Vic Fangio as the new defensive coordinator, the Chicago Bears will switch defensive schemes. The Bears use a traditional 4-3 scheme, but Fangio was hugely successful in San Francisco using a 3-4 scheme.

While an announcement on their scheme has yet to be made, it is widely theorized that the switch will be made. With that, the talk about the Bears defense is mainly about which players DON’T fit the scheme, and who may not make it. I wrote about that yesterday.

Today, however, I want to talk about players who may do well with a defensive scheme change. There are some players who are athletic enough to rush and cover who have not gotten a chance to show it yet. This is their change to show what they have. We may find out there may be a few diamonds in the rough on the roster.

Fangio’s strength is recognizing a player’s tools and putting them to good use. He is a low-key guy and his players love him. “He’s a real quiet guy,’’ said inside linebacker Patrick Willis. “He just says what needs to be said, and not too much more. He keeps it simple and puts us in great position.’’

Fangio may find a few players that could turn into staples of his defense. Here are some of the players who may do well with the change:

David Bass, DE (6-4, 256)

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David Bass has played out of position in his two years in Chicago. Former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker (it still hurts writing his name) had Bass as a defensive end and he did do pretty well when he played.

Last season, Bass recorded three sacks, four quarterback hits and three hurries in 144 snaps. He had one disruption every 14.4 snaps. In almost 700 snaps, Willie Young had one disruption every 18.5 snaps.

Bass should be an outside rush linebacker. He is quick and athletic (certainly a better option than Shea McClellin), and I think he could get double-digit sacks from that spot.

Lamarr Houston, DE

Lamarr Houston was used as the left defensive end opposite

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Jared Allen, and was asked to rush the passer. Well, that did not work, as he recorded just one sack, and was so happy about it he celebrated too hard and tore his ACL and was lost for the season.

With Houston’s ability to stuff the run, he is better suited for the 5-technique end he would play in the 3-4. He had a lot of success at Oakland playing the inside.

One of the troubles Houston had in Oakland was trying to be an outside pass rusher. When he played the inside, he was very good. In the 3-4, he will provide a good inside pass rush, and he will continue to succeed against the run.

Christian Jones, ILB

I’ve said it time and again — Christian Jones was a steal for the

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Bears. In last year’s draft, he was projected to go in the second or third round, but he had a diluted drug test result that caused him to go undrafted. The Bears then signed him.

In his rookie campaign, Jones played in all 16 games, starting 5, had 69 tackles (31 in his last three games), two sacks, a pass defended and a fumble recovery. He was actually a bright spot on the dismal Bears 2014 season.

In the new scheme, I see Jones on the inside. Jonathan Bostic will be the middle linebacker, but he still has coverage problems, so having Jones taking half the field he would have to cover in a 4-3 will be a great help.

Of course, the Bears could decide to draft a linebacker to go on the inside. If they do decide to cut loose of one of the two linebackers on the roster, I see Bostic being the one to go. Jones should and will be a very good linebacker for the Bears for years to come.

Next: Could Danny Shelton Be A Fit In Chicago Bears Defense?

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