The Chicago Bears are entering a new era under Ben Johnson, and there have already been plenty of changes. The Bears overhauled their offensive line, adding guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Williams by trade and center Drew Dalman in free agency. Chicago then upgraded its skill positions in the NFL Draft, adding tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III with its first two picks.
With new players in, there are several veterans who could be viewed as losers. But while Cole Kmet and DJ Moore could be skating on thin ice, there’s a recent draft bust that is deep in the water, and may have lost the most this offseason.
Bears DT Zacch Pickens is Tumbling Down the Depth Chart
The Bears selected Zacch Pickens in the third round of the 2023 draft, and the South Carolina product hasn’t carried a return on that investment. Pickens got an opportunity during his rookie season by appearing in all 17 games, but he didn’t make a major impact with 20 total tackles, one tackle for loss, a pass defense, and a forced fumble.
Pickens entered his sophomore season with an opportunity to take a step forward, but that didn’t happen. The 25-year-old had just 19 total tackles and one tackle for loss in nine games, and the metrics didn’t help him out. Pro Football Focus credited Pickens with an 8.4% pass rush win rate on 103 snaps, and his 42.1 run defense grade was the second lowest on the team behind Chris Williams’s 36.8 grade.
It was a disappointing development as the Bears defensive line needed someone to step up in the wake of Andrew Billings’s torn pectoral muscle last November. While Pickens got an opportunity, he didn’t do much with it and was inactive for the final two games of the year.
Predictably, the Bears addressed the problem this offseason. Grady Jarrett was brought in as a free agent from the Atlanta Falcons, and Chicago selected high-upside lineman Shemar Turner in the second round of the draft. Billings is set to return from injury, and the Bears suggested that free agent signing Dayo Odeyingbo could kick into the inside on pass-rush situations to create a speed package.
That’s at least four players that are ahead of Pickens entering training camp, and it could make him available in the coming weeks. While his trade value is shot, the Bears could save $976,019 in cap space as a cut before June 1 or $1.27 million if they decide to release Pickens after that date.
With a lack of production and quality players ahead of him, Pickens’s days in Chicago may be numbered, making him the biggest loser in an offseason where nobody has been safe.