This Chicago Bears defender has been phased out
The Chicago Bears’ defense is not getting any better, but it is not for lack of trying. Alan Williams has blitzed and dropped back, he has switched from zone to man, he has switched up the defensive line rotation, and tried to have Jaylon Johnson follow top wideouts. Nothing works.
Another notable thing that the defensive coordinator has done is demote Angelo Blackson.
Chicago Bears have reduced Angelo Blackson’s playing time
Blackson was a starter when the season began, mainly because they had no one else to throw out there. They just signed Armon Watts because another team let him go in training camp, and he was not ready yet.
Still, from week one through Sunday Watts has outproduced Blackson. The team gave Blackson plenty of chances as he held down the spot, but eventually, they made the switch.
It started slow, but recently, the team has given Watts a full workload. Below you can see the snap rate of Blackson.
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He was hovering in that 50% range, and you can see that after the Washington game, when the team made a lot of changes, you started to see his snaps drop.
From there, they dropped and dropped. Week 11 was a low, but Week 12 was not much. In the past two weeks, he is not considered much more than an extra body in the red zone.
Of course, for the fall of Blackson is the rise of Watts. The. two are like ships passing in the night.
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The reality is that Angelo Blackson is yet another Ryan Pace holdover. He survived the purge because the team had no depth on the interior line, but once they found anyone, he lost his job quickly.
Blackson will play for a new team next year, while Watts will stick around in all likelihood, so it makes sense to give Watts more work.
In a best-case scenario, Watts is your third or fourth rusher, and not the first or second, but at the least, they found something in him.
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As for Blackson, he was not a scheme fit, not a General Manager selection, and he is probably counting down the days until he can get back to a team that wants him.