20. Tavon Young
When the Chicago Bears signed Tavon Young, it was assumed he would start in the slot. During OTAs it was Graham getting most of the first team work which may have pushed him into the top 22, and pushed Young closer to 20.
Still, Graham noted that Young was the most helpful person in his transition, so perhaps the reps were just to get him up to speed. Young has an injury history, so it could be smart to ease Graham into the slot, and if an injury occurs, they have their number four guy ready. So, Young still gets the slight edge entering training camp.
19. Trevis Gipson
In most cases, Gipson will be starting over Al-Quadin Muhammad. If Robert Quinn gets traded, this ranking is far too low for Gipson. At the same time, we have to be on the watch for the coaching staff, preferring someone they know over a late-round pick from the Ryan Pace era. That could mean Al-Quadin Muhammad is the more prominent player.
Gipson is jumping up from 43 last season into the top 20 and could certainly end up higher. For now, we have him a little lower to see what the coaches think of him.
18. Justin Jones
The Chicago Bears signed Jones as their plan B to Larry Ogunjobi. They may not have been in love with Jones, but he is going to have a big role on the interior defensive line. The Bears are hoping that he can step into the three-technique role and penetrate the passer but may just have a complimentary one-tech, who could slide out a bit at times.
17. Nicholas Morrow
Nicholas Morrow is a free agent signing from the Raiders. He is flying under the radar because he did not play last season, but the Bears seem to like him, and he even was calling plays during OTAs. This is no knock on Roquan Smith, and Colts fans know that Anthony Walker once called plays with Darius Leonard.
It allowed Leonard to play the run and chase role freer and become more of a playmaker. If Morrow can unleash a better, more impactful Roquan Smith, then this ranking will be too low.
16. Angelo Blackson
When Angelo Blackson signed, he may not have realized he was about to enter into the opportunity of his carer. Eddie Goldman, Akiem Hicks, and Bilal Nichols were all ahead of him when we ranked him 36 last season, and without them, and with Justin Jones as the big name addition, Blackson is in line for the most snaps of his career.
He has been a more stable pass rusher than Jones, while Jones is better against the run. Still, Blackson has never played full-time snaps, which will be a huge test that could end up exposing Chicago in the interior.