Chicago Bears: Expectations for defense in 2021

Most of the excitement surrounding the Chicago Bears this offseason has centered around the offense and first-round pick Justin Fields — and rightfully so. It has been a long time since there has been this level of optimism around the Bears’ quarterback situation, so you can’t blame fans for focusing their attention on that side of the ball.

However, if the Bears stick to their expressed intentions to start Andy Dalton (which could certainly change in training camp) they will once again be leaning heavily on their defense to carry them into the playoffs.

You can argue whether Dalton is an upgrade over Nick Foles or Mitch Trubisky, but even if he is, the improvement is nominal. Dalton is not the type of quarterback who is going to carry a team on his shoulders.

At this point, the best the Bears can hope for is that Dalton plays like the ultimate “game manager” and the defense can play at a high enough level to keep them in the playoff hunt. So what can we expect out of the defensive unit for the 2021 season?

What are the expectations for the Chicago Bears defense in 2021?

For this exercise we are going to break down all three levels of the defense, starting with the defensive line.

Right off the bat, we have to address the elephant in the room, which is Eddie Goldman. After opting out of last season due to COVID-19 concerns, there is a sense of worry that Goldman may choose to retire. If that were to happen, it would leave a massive hole in the defensive front — particularly in the run game. The team will turn to Bilal Nichols and recently signed Mike Pennel to fill that monstrous void. While neither is Goldman, the pair should be able to fill in admirably if he chooses to retire.

The rest of the line, to include the team’s edge rushers, should look the same from the 2020 season, at least in terms of composition. However, the Bears will absolutely need more production out of Robert Quinn if the defense is going to be a top five unit. While Khalil Mack may have been graded as the top edge rusher according to Pro Football Focus, his amount of impact plays were down, largely because underperformance on the rest of the line allowed defenses to key on Mack. If Quinn can take some of that focus off of Mack, he will feast in 2021.

Next, we move to the inside linebackers where we expect Roquan Smith’s ascension to continue. Smith has steadily improved every season and is close to the most dependable player on the defense. You can pencil him in for 120+ tackles and exceptional coverage of the field. Opposite Smith will be Danny Trevathan who will need to continue to be a complementary piece to Smith. Add in the addition of Cristian Jones for some nice depth, and the inside linebacker corps probably has the least number of question marks on the defense.

Finally, we take a look at the defensive backfield, where we have arguably the most question marks. With the departure of Kyle Fuller, the team will lean heavily on second-year player Jaylon Johnson (who appears up to the task) and either Kindle Vildor or Desmond Trufant opposite Johnson. Trufant has been a very solid corner throughout his career, but is past his prime, and Vildor, who has played well in limited time, has not been asked to be “the guy.” So both come with some question marks. This will be the most intriguing camp battle to watch in my opinion.

Looking at the nickel cornerback position, the Bears have another hole to fill with the aperture of Buster Skrine. They have some intriguing options here including the extremely versatile Marqui Christian who will hit camp incredibly hungry and eager to show how he can contribute to this unit. Other options include Artie Burns, who missed last season due to injury, Duke Shelley, who is still looking to make a name for himself, and rookie Thomas Graham, Jr.

Next, we move to the safety positions, where Eddie Jackson will be patrolling the field as the team’s unquestionable free safety. While Tashaun Gipson may seem to have the inside track to start as the strong safety, he will face stiff competition from the likes of the aforementioned Marqui Christian, and long-time Bear Deon Bush. In fact, the strong safety position could be another sneaky good camp battle to watch with Christian being one to keep your eye on.

While the unit may have some question marks, to include new defensive coordinator Sean Desai, they are still good enough to be a top-five unit, especially if they get back to their more aggressive ways when they were led by Vic Fangio. And if they want to be a playoff team with a Dalton-led offense, they are going to need to be just that.