Everyone has talked about the great training camp and preseason of Chicago Bears defensive tackles Jordan van den Berg, James Lynch, and Jayden Loving. What about Kentavius Street, though?
Street was a largely under-the-radar defensive tackle the Bears signed during the offseason. Most people saw him as a depth role player behind Grevon Dexter Sr. and Grady Jarrett.
After Dexter's trade to the Atlanta Falcons, though, things really opened up for Street as a potential role player. There were some bold words said by Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen that might have already started the Kentavius Street hype train in 2026.
Bears fans might watch Kentavius Street make an impact this season
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen spoke with the media when he was asked about the quiet chatter about Street after a stellar training camp. Allen said Street has been great for Chicago.
"Quite honestly, I think he was the most productive tackle we had throughout the course of training camp," Allen said via The Athletic's Dan Wiederer. "He's got the suddenness and the explosiveness off the ball that we're looking for to create penetration and disrupt the line of scrimmage. He's really taken to the things that Jeremy (Garrett), Bill (Johnson), Zach (Cable), all those guys are coaching and how we want to play that position."
Street racked up 125 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 17 quarterback hits, 10.5 sacks, two pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 85 career games. He has started just 10 games with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Philadelphia Eagles.
Last year with the Falcons, he recorded 21 tackles, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, and two sacks. Pro Football Focus gave Street an overall grade of 53.3, ranking 83rd out of 134 interior defensive linemen in the NFL. He also had a pass-rush grade of 56.3 and a run-defense grade of 49.8.
Street's potential in this Bears defense is exciting, but it'll be interesting to see what role he has on the defensive line. Van den Berg is expected to step into the starting lineup with Dexter gone, and Jarrett should still start.
Since Street made the team, he should be next up on the rotation with Neville Gallimore, Loving, and Lynch all fighting for playing time. Gallimore got the biggest contract of the three new free agent defensive tackles in Street and Lynch, so it feels as though it's leaning towards Gallimore getting more reps.
Read more: Position-by-position takeaways from Bears' initial 53-man roster reveal
The reality is that there wasn't a ton of buzz or reporting around Street, so no Bears fan really knows what to expect from him in 2026. If Allen is on point with what he said about him, it feels as though Street is about to have a bigger role in this defense.
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