Would improvement at defensive tackle 'change everything' for Bears, coach Matt Eberflus?
The Bears have been on a quest to find bulldozing defensive tackles for coach Matt Eberflus since his arrival and they’re still looking.
The hope at Halas Hall is that the improvement comes from within, mainly on a massive step forward by second-year player Gervon Dexter. They’re pairing him with journeyman Andrew Billings, who impressed them so much last season that they gave him a two-year contract extension in November.
But Eberflus has high standards. When he was the Colts’ defensive coordinator from 2018 through ’21, the team swung big by trading a first-round pick for All-Pro DeForest Buckner to put him inside with steady veteran Grover Stewart.
“When we got that inside push, it changed everything,” he said after practice Tuesday. “It really did. The closest way to the quarterback is from that D-tackle position.”
Many would agree.
The cash-strapped Chiefs keep finding a way to squeeze All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones into their budget. Aaron Donald was essential to the Rams’ championship run. The last time the Bears dominated defensive, Akiem Hicks led their attack.
It’s an especially critical spot for the Bears this season amid concerns about their pass rush, and they run the risk of undercutting exceptional roster building at linebacker and in the secondary by not having enough firepower up front. The defense was No. 1 against the run last season, but had the second-fewest sacks in the NFL.
Behind Billings and Dexter, they’re also trying to develop Zacch Pickens and undrafted rookie Keith Randolph from Illinois and hoping for a contribution from veteran Byron Cowart.
General manager Ryan Poles needs to get a return on his investment in Dexter and Pickens. He drafted Dexter in the second round at No. 53 overall last year and took Pickens 11 picks later at the start of the third round.
Dexter pulled ahead of Pickens as a rookie, playing 40% of the defensive snaps vs. Pickens getting 25%, and has maintained that separation.
He showed up for training camp leaner and stronger, saying he wasn’t sure exactly how much weight he lost. The Bears listed him as 6-foot-6, 312, which is close to where they had him last season.
But Dexter was in good enough shape to take the conditioning test with the defensive ends when he reported to camp instead of his own position, where there’s less running and more time to accommodate their bulk. He said he was “in the front of the pack” when he and the d-ends ran.
“I took out late night snacks,” he said of his offseason diet. “I was just like, ‘Man, one Honey Bun won’t hurt me,’ [but] I cut that out and now I feel a lot better."
Eberflus raved about Dexter’s improvement, specifically pointing out his progress in one-on-one pass rushing, and Dexter said he’s getting off the line scrimmage faster than he was last season.
If that translates to a breakout season, it’d be huge for the Bears. Poles and Eberflus prioritized defensive tackle immediately when they got hired, and their struggle to find difference makers there has forced Eberflus to scheme around it.
In their first offseason together, at a time when the goal was to clean up salary cap space, the one big free agent they made a run at was defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi with a $40.5 million offer that ultimately fell apart on a failed physical.
As Eberflus said, the addition of Buckner in Indianapolis was enormous as he vaulted a good defense to greatness. In the big picture, the Colts jumped from 18th in points allowed to 10th when Buckner showed up in 2020.
That’s the leap the Bears are trying to make now after showing progress in the second half of last season. But they can’t climb if everything stays the same, and defensive tackle is one of their biggest areas for potential improvement.