Nick Kwiatkoski gives Chicago Bears good problem to have

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 19: Matthew Stafford
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 19: Matthew Stafford /
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Nick Kwiatkoski is not going to hand over his starting job to Roquan Smith. The Chicago Bears first round pick is going to have to earn it

While Roquan Smith was held out after his holdout ended just last week the timer started ticking on how many starts Nick Kwiatkoski will make moving forward. Kwiatkoski got the start in Week 2 and will likely get the start in Week 3 of the preseason as well.

We all know that eventually, Roquan Smith is going to take over this spot. However, that will be from no wrongdoing of Kwiatkoski. That will be because Smith has earned the job. Kwiatkoski is making sure of that by proving that he is perfectly capable of handling the job as well.

Nick Kwiatkoski showed up in a variety of ways in the Chicago Bears third preseason. He continued to show a keen ability to rush the pass, an area where this team needs help. He also has displayed form run defense and proper angles to limit runs to the outside.

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One area in which Kwiatkoski lacks most would be pass defense, but he has also shown some improvement in that area over the last two games. Kwiatkoski is proving that he belongs on an NFL field one way or another.

This is not a bad problem for the Chicago Bears to have. Roquan Smith is going to earn that spot over Kwiatkoski because he is more talented than him. He already answers some of the questions that are attached to Kwiatkoski.

However, now the team has a steady piece in their depth. Danny Trevathan is not the beacon of health. Kwiatkoski could go from competing to lining up next to Roquan Smith.

The team could also experiment with getting the three linebackers on the field at the same time. All three inside linebackers are sound blitzers. On top of that, Leonard Floyd is a player who drops into coverage often.

The Chicago Bears do not have much of a compliment to Floyd regarding an edge rusher, and one of the three inside players could rotate into supplanting that role.

This gives the Chicago Bears more depth, more versatility and more intense practices that feature bringing out the best in each other. Even if Nick Kwiatkoski loses his starting job by Week One, he has been a winner of the preseason.