Chicago Bears: Why Akiem Hicks being healthy matters

With Chicago Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks reportedly being healthy, what impacts does this have?

On a defense that’s loaded with stars like Khalil Mack and Eddie Jackson, outside of the Chicago Bears fanbase, Akiem Hicks is clearly a name that doesn’t get the respect he deserves. If you wanted to, you could make the argument that Hicks is one of the best defensive lineman in the NFL.

There’s no doubt that as soon as Hicks went down with an elbow injury in 2019, the Bears defense took a slight step back. Takeaways and sacks, two categories that were central to the Bears 2018 defense, decreased as soon as Hicks went down.

In press conferences on Wednesday, head coach Matt Nagy labeled Hicks as one player who showed up to Halas Hall in great shape. While many assume that this is expected of any NFL player, keep in mind that with the way that COVID-19 has altered the offseason, many players were unable to continuously workout.

Hicks, who’s entering his fifth year in Chicago will look to have a bounce-back season. Since arriving in Chicago in 2016, he’s got a total of 24 sacks, 39 tackles for loss, and 58 quarterback hits.

There are also times that he’ll take on double teams, which will allow for players like Mack, Roquan Smith, and Danny Trevathan to openly make plays because they’re not being accounted for. Essentially, Hicks’ impact isn’t just reflected in the numbers that he puts up, it shows in his teammates’ production as well.

Another major area where Hicks has an impact in is the running game. Whenever he gets an opportunity to get into the backfield, he’s usually the first one blowing plays up, proving that his impacts comes in multiple aspects of the game.

A healthy, resurgent, and motivated Hicks could see him have a career year in 2020, perhaps even allowing him to reach double-digit sacks for the first time in his career. Heading into year nine, he’s been relatively healthy his entire career and now, he’ll have a chance to prove that he can be a dominant force once again.

As the Bears defense heads into year two under defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, the defense is playing with a chip on its shoulder. Hicks returning is just one of the many reasons that the Monsters of the Midway are set to have another big year in 2020.