The Chicago Bears biggest issue on defense comes down to the questionable star talent. The team has adequate depth and added enough depth pieces this offseason, but they are missing the high-end stars to put the team over the top. That is why the Bears ranked 19th in the latest defensive triplet ranking done by Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated.
The Chicago Bears rank 19th in the NFL defensive triplet ranking
The ranking takes the top defensive lineman, linebacker, and secondary member from every team and ranks the talent level of the three. The Bears had Montez Sweat, T.J. Edwards, and Jaylon Johnson as their three. Verderame argued that while he put them at 19, that might be a generous decision.
"Maybe this ranking is too generous for a Bears defense that allowed 361.8 yards and 24.4 points per game last year. Still, this is a talented trio that did gain some help at safety with the signing of Coby Bryant and the first-round selection of Dillon Thieneman."Matt Verderame
So, despite just ranking the triplets, having some additional depth at safety did help them a touch in the rankings. The same can likely be said at linebacker. T.J. Edwards has questions coming back from a serious injury he suffered in the playoffs.
However, the Bears also have Devin Bush and D’Marco Jackson. Both of them are quality starters and there might not be a notable drop-off from Edwards to either of them. The same can be said of Johnson, who has the two safeties behind him.
Sweat is on his own as the obvious defensive lineman, but with 10 sacks last year, he is not exactly sinking the group. They just do not have the high-end talent across the board to arguably be better.
The Bears will argue that while their defensive line does not have star talent, they do have depth. Dayo Oedyingbo and Shemar Turner can move up and down the line, while Austin Booker is the speed rusher.
At the interior defensive line, they do not have big names, but they have Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter, Neville Gailimore, Kentavius Street, James Lynch, and Jordan van den Berg. They have enough depth to find a way.
Still, there are enough questions here that it could hold back the defense. Beyond that, it is the high-end players who can change games. The Los Angeles Rams knocked out the Bears last year, and now the team has Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, which propelled them to first in this ranking.
They are going for the impact players who can change games. Whether that is the better strategy will be seen soon, but for now, the Rams are getting the praise, and the Bears are viewed as below average.
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