Chicago Bears: 5 players whose stock went down after Week 3
By Ryan Heckman
1. DL Bilal Nichols
Putting defensive end Bilal Nichols on this list feels wrong, because he has been placed in a position he’s not necessarily comfortable with. Before this season, Nichols lined up primarily as an end. Occasionally, he would slide inside to nose. But, that was a rare instance.
This year, Eddie Goldman chose to opt out of the season, leaving the Bears extremely thin up front. What’s made it even tougher is losing John Jenkins to injury. Now, the job is solely up to Nichols to hold down.
Thus far, Nichols has been beat up pretty badly in the run game. It’s clear the difference between Goldman and Nichols is a noticeable one. Again, as an end, Nichols is a promising player who executes much better there.
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The Bears’ run defense has been porous through three games. The team has given up 357 rushing yards in three games, ranking 18th in the NFL. That’s not worst case scenario, but the fact that Chicago is giving up 5.0 yards per carry is the startling number — that’s good for 27th in the league.
The middle of the defense has been where the Bears could improve drastically, and a lot of it is on the shoulders of Nichols. He may have no choice but to step up and improve, even though he’s better suited as an end. Unless the Bears go out and sign Snacks Harrison, Nichols is going to need to be better.