Players making roster cuts difficult for the Chicago Bears: Khyiris Tonga, NT
A lot of people thought that back when the Bears signed former Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Mike Pennel, he would come in and be the backup to starter Eddie Goldman. However, seventh-round rookie Khyiris Tonga has made that anything but the case.
Tonga is listed above Pennel on the team’s first depth chart and, on Saturday against the Dolphins, he proved he was a force in the middle. That man’s body is darn near immovable simply due to his size. Tonga is an ideal backup to Goldman because both are run-stuffing specialists. That’s what the Bears missed dearly last year with Bilal Nichols sliding inside.
It would be pretty shocking to see the Bears keep three nose tackles, as they have typically only kept two over the last few seasons. With Tonga looking the part, coaches will likely be forced to cut ties with Pennel eventually, unless they wanted to keep him as a guy who could play both spots along the line.
In fact, that’s exactly what they might end up doing and keep a total of six linemen. If they happened to keep seven, the coaches would have to then choose between LaCale London and Daniel Archibong.