Chicago Bears: 3 Reasons why the pass rush steps up in 2020.

Could the third year be a breakout for Bilal Nichols?

It’s no secret that Khalil Mack calls for a double and triple-team on the regular. His historical start to his 2018 campaign solidified him as an opposing nightmare for offenses across the league. With him taking on a major handle of the offensive line, Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman make for a lot of ground. They’re going into their third year up front with the core of Mack, Hicks, Goldman, and adding Nichols into the mix even more.

The third-year pro Bilal Nichols looks to fully impose his will in 2020. Out of 27 career games, he’s started in 18 of them. With a bigger role comes bigger responsibility. Nichols didn’t record any sacks in his second year, landing only two hits to the opposing QB through 13 games of play. He’s set for a new contract in 2022, so he has two solid years to show growth within this defensive unit.

Akiem Hicks always stood as an anchor on the defense. He holds great leadership ability and is not afraid to speak up and step up for his team. Entering his fifth-year will the team, he will be apart of the reason the Bears will bounce back as a defensive cornerstone across the league. Hicks is set for two more years with Chicago before another extension or possible release is decided. Eddie Goldman signed a four-year, $42million extension with the team back in 2018, and he’s been noted as one of the Bears most underrated players. This season holds as a bounce-back year for him as well, having only one sack in fifteen games during the 2019 season.

There’s much going on with the Chicago defense going into this season. They’ve made several changes across this defense while retaining and adding star names. If everything meshes well, this unit can get back to aggressive, disciplined football. The game is won at the line of scrimmage and a consistent, dominant push from this defense will always better their chances as a team.