Ben Johnson clarifies Marcus Davenport's role in Bears' crowded edge room

When the Chicago Bears signed Marcus Davenport in free agency there was a question of how he would fit into the room. They are thin at the edge, but Davenport has hardly been healthy and has four sacks in his last four NFL seasons. 

Ben Johnson details plan for Chicago Bears newest signing Marcus Davenport

Would he compete to start, get on the field, or even make the team? Head coach Ben Johnson clarified that while they have a plan for him to have a role on the defense, he is also here to compete with the other depth names.

“I think he's going to add some competition to us,” said Johnson. “He's still a very hungry and motivated individual and we've got a plan on how we want him to come back and to be able to help us out.”

Johnson made it clear that right now the plan is to be depth, and to compete with the rest of the depth on the roster. 

“To me its adding extra depth there to the defensive end spot and giving him a chance to compete with the guys we have,” Johnson stated.

The Bears currently have their top three edge rushers set. Montez Sweat will lead the group. Dayo Odeyingbo will mostly play on the obvious run downs while Austin Booker will come in for the pass-rushing downs. 

The depth behind them is questionable, though. Daniel Hardy has been a preseason darling in past years, but it has not translated to the NFL field. Jamree Kromah had two sacks in the preseason. However, he would not have been on the roster radar before that. His stock is up, but that should not be able to lock him onto the team. 

Chicago has been trying to sign free agent James Lynch out on the edge as well. He played 15 of his 46 defensive snaps as an edge rusher. This would likely be similar to the role that Shemar Turner would play if he were healthy.

So, the team had three players competing for one or maybe two spots. Now, they are adding Davenport into the mix. Davenport will likely compete with Kromah and Hardy the most. One of those three will make it as a true edge defender. 

Then, Lynch might make it until Turner comes back. If the Bears start to work Davenport inside at times, it could be Lynch that he is pushing instead. 

Davenport is not a roster lock, but he should have the edge over Kromah and Hardy if he is healthy.

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