5 surprise players who could make a big impact for the Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears Surprise Impact Player No. 3:  Justin Jones, DT

Not many fans are thrilled about the idea of Justin Jones as the starting 3-technique. We just heard about Larry Ogunjobi signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The deal is a one-year deal and financial terms have not been made public yet. Either way, we know it’s not even close to the same as the three-year deal worth $40.5 million that he agreed to during the “legal tampering” period leading up to free agency earlier this March.

Once the Chicago Bears notified Ogunjobi that they are unable to sign him to the agreed deal due to his inability to pass his physical. Almost immediately after the news broke, the Bears signed Justin Jones to be their 3-technique instead.

Now, there is a big difference between what these two have been able to accomplish in their careers at this point. That said, I think Justin Jones has the potential to prove his doubters wrong and surprise fans with solid production.

To this point in their careers, Justin Jones has struggled to pressure the quarterback. He’s been more of a run-stopper and not a sack specialist. Larry Ogunjobi on the other hand has been able to consistently put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Jones has 4.5 career sacks over four years —three of those came in the 2021 season though. Ogunjobi on the other hand has 21.5 sacks over five years. He finished with seven sacks last season for the Bengals.

Matt Eberflus and Alan Williams clearly like what they have seen from Justin Jones at practice. I’m going to trust their judgment seeing the 3-technique is more crucial to their defensive scheme than defensive ends. Could this be a breakout season for Jones in this new system?