Bears analyst identified biggest concern of team that no one is talking about

Entering the 2025 season, concerns about the Chicago Bears have been discussed repeatedly.

The biggest one has been the offense. Quarterback Caleb Williams and the rest of the unit are learning a new, complex system that head coach Ben Johnson likes to run. It has been a mixed experience so far, with Williams developing nicely, but pre-snap issues have plagued the Bears in training camp and practice.

Everyone seems to be in love with the Bears' defense. Despite multiple injuries in the secondary, they have been able to hold it together and finished with a 2-0-1 record in the preseason.

No Bears fan should be overly concerned about the defense. Right?

One Bears analyst might have found a key weakness in the defense

In the latest episode of CHSN's podcast "The Charter", Alex Shapiro shared with Clay Harbor and Ruthie Polinsky his concerns with one part of the defense. While fans can get excited about the potential of the pass rush, the rush defense is the bigger issue for Shapiro.

"Clay, I got concerns before we even get to the pass rush. You know this better than anybody. You got to earn the right to rush the quarterback by stopping the run. How about stopping the run first? I mean, that was another thing that I thought was problematic throughout camp and throughout the preseason. Remember that first day the Bears put pads on in training camp, and we were like, 'Oh my god, the Bears got a run game.' Here's the new interior line, dah dah dah, but then the Dolphins came to town, and the Dolphins had found some holes, were able to run the ball on that Bears defensive line. Then, the Bills came to town, and they were able to run the ball on the Bears, and then they played the Chiefs, and Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt were just great. So, will they even get to those third downs where they can rush the passer?"

There is some validity to what Shapiro is saying. In two out of the three preseason games, the Bears' defense allowed more than four yards per carry, with the worst being 5.9 yards per carry on the ground for the Bills. Overall, in the preseason, the Bears allowed an average of 4.6 yards per carry in three contests.

This shouldn't be anything new for Bears fans, as this was a significant problem with the unit last year as well. Chicago was 28th in the league in run defense, allowing 136.3 yards a game.

The Bears took measures to fix this issue in the offseason as they added Grady Jarrett in free agency and selected Shemar Turner in the second round to stack up the interior defensive line. At linebacker, Chicago also selected Ruben Hyppolite II in Day 3 to give them more speed at the position.

Read more: Micah Parsons trade could impact Bears' development of Caleb Williams

Are these moves enough to help the Bears improve in stopping the run? Bears fans can only hope.