Chicago Bears could make a Super Bowl run with this starting lineup
Rest of the defense
The defensive side of the football is easily the bread and butter of this Chicago Bears team. It seems to me that the Bears are destined to always have a competing defense. Maybe one day the team will put together a high-powered offense. Until then, the success of the team will rely heavily on the weight of the defenses’ shoulders once again.
Right Outside Linebacker – Robert Quinn
Ryan Pace admitted that Leonard Floyd was not the pass-rush specialist he envisioned. That does not mean Floyd was a bad player. Quite the contrary. He played well in every other aspect of the game. It looks like he is rumored to play inside linebacker for the Rams this year. Adding Quinn to the mix in the Chicago Bears front seven makes this defense arguably one of the best front sevens in the NFL once again. Watch out quarterbacks.
Right Inside Linebacker – Roquan Smith
Roquan Smith was excellent in his rookie season. Last year he struggled to get going and had a personal issue that kept him off the field for a few games. In 12 games he still had 101 combined tackles, an interception and a missed tackle rate of just under four percent. He is and will continue to be a dominant force in the NFL.
Left Inside Linebacker – Danny Trevathan
The Chicago Bears and Ryan Pace decided to keep Danny Trevathan over Nick Kwiatkoski. Time will tell if the move was the right one, but Trevathan brings a leadership role to the Bears defense that Kwiatkoski did not. Keeping Trevathan was the right decision.
Left Outside Linebacker – Khalil Mack
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com just ranked his top five EDGE rushers in the game. He had Khalil Mack in fourth. I guarantee he’d have Mack number one after the 2018 season. Too often we allow recency bias to creep in and that is what happened here. Mack is a beast and with Hicks returning and the addition of Quinn, this pass rush will be scary.
Right Cornerback – Jaylon Johnson
Most teams would struggle to count on a rookie cornerback. This defense is not like most teams though. Johnson brings a “go-get-him” mentality that should flourish behind the Chicago Bears pass rushers.
Strong Safety – Tashaun Gipson
Adding Tashaun Gipson to this roster was a fantastic decision. Now the key will be for Gipson to stay healthy. If healthy, Gipson will bring the right skill set needed to play alongside Eddie Jackson. He does not lack the ability to play in coverage in a split-coverage package, but he brings a more in-the-box mentality than former Bears safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Free Safety – Eddie Jackson
Eddie Jackson is the highest-paid safety in the NFL and he deserves to be. Jackson is easily a top three safety in the league despite his counting statistics regressing in 2019. On 43 targets last year, he only allowed 53 percent of the passes to be completed and only a 57.6 quarterback rating. His regression is overblown. Quarterbacks are scared to throw in his direction.
Left Cornerback – Kyle Fuller
Kyle Fuller has become one of the best outside cornerbacks in the NFL. He had a down year in 2019 though and I think that was because Chuck Pagano let him play off the line of scrimmage too much. The ability to bait quarterbacks to throw in his direction worked at times, but in others, it did not as he allowed over 70 percent of the passes thrown in his direction to be completed. Fuller will need to return to his 2018 form and increased pressure by the front seven will help.