Chicago Bears Film Review: This underrated addition shined in debut

While the big-name waiver claim that Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles made after roster cutdowns was a former first-round pick, Alex Leatherwood, the most impactful pickup may have been Armon Watts, who quickly went from starting with the Minnesota Vikings to cut.

On Sunday, Watts was a rotational defensive lineman, and only logged 21 snaps, 12 against the run and nine as a pass rusher. However, it is fair to say that he had a big impact on the game, and may end up being a great pick-up who gets even more playing time.

Armon Watts film review  in Chicago Bears debut

Below is the first highlight from Watts, who you can see wear number 96. He is lined up against the right guard, rookie Spencer Burford. Here, he beats him clean to the inside. He ducks inside and then uses his left arm to shield Burford from him.

"View post on imgur.com"

Now, Watts is in the backfield and is juking away from the fullback to make a tackle in the backfield. He had two run stops on Sunday, which was only behind team leader Dominique Robinson.

Below, we see more from Watts. This time, he is taking on the left guard Aaron Banks. He uses a quick swipe of Banks as he rushes inside on this pass rush attempt.

"View post on imgur.com"

Watts is not able to corral Trey Lance, but you can see his reaction. He jumps in the pocket, gets too close to Trevis Gipson then has to throw a pass without his feet set. This was all a product of the pressure that Watts carried. Along with his two run stops, he was tagged with two hurries of the quarterback.

Watch closely to Watts in the play below against the right guard. He fights hard for this one. As the run goes away from him, you can see Watts plant his fat and push his backside towards the guard,  essentially boxing him out, and giving him a clear path where he is blocking the runner.

"View post on imgur.com"

Watts then uses his arm to push off of the guard, which helps lead him right into the tackle. The run was shut down from there.

Below we see the final highlight from the debut of Armon Watts. He is lined against the left guard, and once again beats him to the inside with speed. Banks has no shot as he is essentially riding Watts into the backfield.

"View post on imgur.com"

This is another play where you see Lance flustered. After Watts causes him to step up his footwork becomes square and forward facing, and he is essentially only in a position where he can run.

Two pressures and two run stops on 21 snaps in a productive debut for Armon Watts. We knew coming into the game that the 49ers’ interior offensive line was going to be an issue, but we were not sure who would take advantage.

It was clear after week one that he was the best interior lineman on the team, and it will be interesting to see if he earns more playing time after his excellent performance.