Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears must focus on adding another edge rusher to their defense this offseason.
Quarterback is the most premium position in all of football. You don’t get too far without high-level play from the position (or at the very least above average). It’s one of the many positions the Chicago Bears will address this offseason. The equalizer to combat good quarterback play is a pair of edge rushers.
The Bears have a generational talent in Khalil Mack at the position that alters game plans. So much so, last season opposing offensive coordinators regularly assigned two-to-three blockers on him. There are a couple of reasons why offensive coordinators do this.
The most obvious reason is that Mack is an all-world talent that can dominate a game. The other is because there’s no other legit edge rush threat at the position that can advantage of the one-on-one matchup.
Leonard Floyd is a solid piece on the front seven. He’s one the team’s best-run defenders and his athleticism is valued in coverage. However, the Bears didn’t trade up to ninth pick in the 2016 draft for his run defense and coverage ability.
Pace must know that he can’t roll into 2020 season putting everything on the shoulders of Mack and Akiem Hicks as far as to the pass-rush production. They need more from that area of the defense.
This is why it was encouraging to hear that the Bears have done quite a bit of work on edge prospects according to The Chicago Audible’s twitter feed. The most notable ones are Florida’s Jonathan Greenard and LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson
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Chaisson is viewed to be the 2nd best edge prospect in this draft after Chase Young. His speed, length, and athleticism jump off the screen once you watch his tape and highlights. The bad news is that he is projected to be out of the Bears’ reach.
Greenard, on the other hand, could slip to either of the Bears picks in the 2nd round. The Florida standout is a quick explosive rusher that plays with the type of physicality that fits this defense.
Along with those two, the Bears have had meetings with Utah’s Bradlee Anae, Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos, and Greenard’s teammate Jabari Zuniga.
Whether via free agency or the draft, expect the Bears to add an edge rusher in some capacity this offseason.