The Chicago Bears’ defense is awful. They have holes across the board and will have to address this side of the football heavily in the offseason. Still, they do not need to replace all 11 players. They still have some core pieces, and if they can grow from that, they can start to build.
Who are the five building blocks that should be locked into jobs next season?
5. Chicago Bears should try to extend Jaylon Johnson
The Chicago Bears shut down Jaylon Johnson, but they should have seen enough from him this season to know that he is a building block. There is a catch, and his ceiling does not appear to be a number one, elite cornerback. He is not the follow-receivers-everywhere and shut-things-down type of cornerback.
However, when he plays his side, he plays zone, and he defends the sidelines, this is not the cornerback to test. His strengths make him a high-end number two cornerback, if not a low-end number one cornerback. You cannot skimp around him assuming he can lock down big targets, but in a zone defense like the Chicago Bears, he is a great fit.
The next question comes down to his contract. He is obviously going to want a payday and will be a free agent at the end of 2023 if the team does not extend him this summer. They do not want to enter that situation with someone that they view as the future.
Still, they do not want to set the market on a cornerback that we just admitted is not in that tier of player. The Chicago Bears should hope, try and look for Jaylon Johnson to be an extended team member, but it is not quite a lock, yet.
4. Chicago Bears have a gem in Jaquan Brisker
Of this list, Jaquan Brisker is the biggest lock to be a long-time member of this defense. He has all of the traits, and characteristics of a player that will be in the NFL for a long time. He may not be an All-Pro every year, but he certainly will be in that Pro Bowl conversation year after year, and that should start next season.
What you have to love about Brisker is that he plays like a leader of the defense. He sets the tone with his play, and it is hard for players not to follow. As he comes into his own, and gets more comfortable you have to believe that he will get more vocal in that role as well.
Then, you have hardly seen anything on the field to make you worry about his play. He tackles well, is versatile, and is the leader of the entire team in sacks. Yes, you read that right. That is an indictment of the pass rush but also shows how versatile and wide-ranging his skill set is. He will do what it takes to win, and that means wearing different hats.
Jaquan Brisker will be here when the Chicago Bears’ defense is good again.
3. Chicago Bears are seeing growth from Kyler Gordon
The Chicago Bears did draft Kyler Gordon over Jaquan Brisker. They are probably asking more out of Gordon, but Gordon has also been much more up and down than Kyler Gordon at this point. The Bears are asking Gordon to play the slot when he spent most of his college career on the outside.
Beyond that, in two corner sets, he plays outside, then shifts inside in the nickel look. So, there is a lot on his plate. It did not help when Aaron Rodgers felt like picking on him all night early in the season.
Gordon started to find his groove in the middle of the season. Then, he saw names like Jaylen Waddle, CeeDee Lamb, and Drake London, which caused issues again. A concussion added to the issues, but he came back from the bye week healthy and has been playing by far his best football.
If Gordon can close out the next two weeks strong, it will be four weeks of real positive play. After the up-and-down season, it would be great to see it finish on such a positive. It would also mean the team is entering the offseason knowing that they have a legitimate slot, and just need one more cornerback to fill the room.
2. Do Chicago Bears have a legitimate starter in Jack Sanborn?
The trade of Roquan Smith opened up time for Jack Sanborn to start in the middle for the Chicago Bears. This may be the case of a win-win trade because the Ravens filled a hole now, and the Bears may have something for the future.
Fans love to tout tackle stats, but that is not a great measure. Still, overall, Sanborn has done enough to get a starting nod next season. He is excellent in run defense, and both advanced metrics, and the film can verify this.
On the flip side, he did have his struggles in coverage, and anyone watching him play could also verify this. Still, the reality is that they have a starting linebacker who is a UDFA in his second NFL season.
The play may not be elite, and the pay is going to be well below average for a starting player. The Chicago Bears have so many holes on their defense, being able to fill a gap with such a cheap player is huge. It allows them to spend draft picks and money at other positions. Then, in turn, as the players around him improve, the Chicago Bears will have a better view at how his progression looks in year two.
We are not screaming Hall of Fame, but he is a surefire starter, and that is something to build off of.
1. A healthy Eddie Jackson is a building block for the Chicago Bears
Before Eddie Jackson went down with a season-ending foot injury it was hard to say that there was a better, more impactful player on the Chicago Bears defense than him. Jackson made pick after pick, and he even helped create a few splash plays for others.
The best part of Jackson’s play is that his tackling did not even improve. Instead, the coaching staff put him in a better position to succeed and had him tackling less.
So, some fans are going to call for Jackson to get cut. His ankle injury, age, and salary work against him compared to the others. However, he is a perfect fit for the defense. He plays well off of Brisker, and they both allow each other to be at their best.
Beyond that, while he is older than the rest of the young starters, it is not like he is over 30. He is at the age where he should be looked at as the leader of the defense, and the players talk like he is that type of person.
If the Bears cut Jackson they save money but create another hole. They essentially have six holes to fill beyond these five players, so why add another one to the list? If they think that Eddie Jackson can be healthy, he should be starting for the Chicago Bears next season.