Chicago Bears Training Camp Preview: Inside Linebackers

The Chicago Bears hope that a new scheme, new faces and player shuffle result in a much improved inside linebacker corps.

The Chicago Bears had trouble with their overall linebacker corps last season. They suffered through injuries and suffered through young players playing out of position and making big errors.

This season, there is a brand new scheme. Going to a base 3-4 scheme, there will be an added inside linebacker. There are also some new names and player shuffle that hopefully will result in better play.

Last season, the Bears had Lance Briggs, D.J. Williams and Shea McClellin start at linebackers. After back-to-back injury marred seasons, Briggs was allowed to leave, and Williams left through free agency.

McClellin is the sole survivor of the trio, but he is skating on very thin ice. With four linebackers, he moved over to inside linebacker.

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The Bears picked up Mason Foster through free agency. He was a quality linebacker in Tampa, but struggled with Lovie Smith’s Cover-2 scheme and suffered through shoulder and Achilles injuries. He signed a one-year, prove it contract with the Bears.

If Foster is able to show that he is over his injuries, he could end up being a bargain for the Bears. He is just 26 years old, ready to hit his prime. He recorded 343 tackles, six sacks, five interceptions and two forced fumbles in his four-year career. Because of his injuries last season, he played in only 10 games.

In his fourth season, McClellin is playing his third position with the Bears. He played defensive end in his first two seasons, but he was overwhelmed by the big offensive linemen he encountered.

Last season, he moved over to outside linebacker, but had another mediocre season.

This season, working under his third coaching regime on defense, McClellin is looking to finally break through. The move to the inside may just be the trick for him.

McClellin has the confidence of the coaching staff so far. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio feels he could be successful this time. “I think he’s got a chance to be a good inside linebacker,” Fangio said. “We’re going to give [McClellin] a full opportunity and full chance to learn the position so we can evaluate him and see if that’s a good spot for him.”

Head coach John Fox likes McClellin’s athleticism and size. “I thought highly of him when he came out of Boise State,” Fox said. “He was more of an outside linebacker in that scheme. But that’s a switch… . Right now [we are] putting him inside, we’ll see how he does there, see how he progresses because he is a good athlete. He does have good size, good length… . It will be an easier switch to put him someplace where he is more familiar.”

Bears fans are a little skeptical after seeing McClellin’s play over the past three seasons. Hopefully this is a change that he can thrive in.

Another player in the mix to start is Christian Jones. Jones was

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signed as an undrafted free agent rookie last season. The reason for him being undrafted was a diluted drug test at the NFL Combine.

That event may turn out to be very advantageous for the Bears.

Jones has raw talent that Fangio can mold. He can turn out to be another star in Fangio’s defense, much like NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis were with Fangio’s San Francisco 49ers defense.

Jones may start as the “Jack” linebacker whose responsibility is to keep the middle linebacker clean, but with his athleticism, he can be moved around the field.

I said before last season that Jones would be a great signing, and he had a good, if limited, season. After a season under his belt, and an effective defensive coach, he could be ready to break out.

Jonathan Bostic will also be in the mix for playing time. He was tabbed by some to be the replacement for Brian Urlacher, but he has yet to fulfill that promise (and may never fulfill it).

Bostic is a hard hitter who relies on that too much. He takes wrong angles at times, and has been slow in recognizing plays. He is also recovering from a back injury. He has a long way to go to be depended upon on a regular basis. He will be a capable backup for now until he shows improvement on the above-mentioned aspects.

DeDe Lattimore is also a linebacker, but will need to repeat his good special teams play in order to make the team. I don’t see him spending time on the field as a linebacker unless something horrible happens. Let’s hope that does not happen.

At this moment, I see McClellin and Jones as starters. It is really close, however. Foster may eventually overtake McClellin as starter later in the season if not during preseason. I have to see McClellin perform on the field before I can have confidence in his play.

Including the outside linebackers, this should be a new and improved linebacker unit. Fangio can move a lot of the pieces around to confuse offenses, and having many options will lead to success. Fangio will have fun working with this unit, and may have a couple of players who stand out.

Next: Chicago Bears Training Camp Preview: Outside Linebackers

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