Chicago Bears: 4 Defensive players who are on the roster bubble

The Chicago Bears will struggle to make room for Isaiah Irving in 2020

Another name Chicago Bears fans might remember is Isaiah Irving. Unfortunately, Irving is going to struggle to make the Bears final roster this season. Irving was one of four outside linebackers kept last year, but his time in Chicago could be coming to an end after three seasons.

In 2018, Irving had his most productive year with one sack, eight total tackles and six pressures. His tackles went up in 2019, but his pass rush declined greatly. Not only did Irving not record a sack, he only finished with one pressure despite playing slightly more snaps. He also saw his snaps on special teams decrease in 2019. That is not a good sign for a backend guy trying to make the final roster.

Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn and rookie Trevis Gipson are guaranteed to make the roster. If the team decides to keep four players at the position like last year, then the final spot will come down to Irving, Barkevious Mingo, James Vaughters, and Keandre Jones. If I had to rank these guys chances, Isaiah Irving would wind up third behind Mingo and Vaughters. I see Mingo being in the top spot strictly because of his special teams’ presence.

Jones and Vaughters could probably be stashed on the practice squad. Vaughters saw some minimal success last year with three tackles in three games. He spent most of the season on the practice squad before getting an opportunity later in the year. Jones is an undrafted free agent from the Unversity of Maryland.