The Chicago Bears are sitting at 1-5, so it is hard to get too excited about what the team is bringing to the table. However, we are now into the part of the year where we are looking for signs of development and growth from certain players. Which players have been playing some of their best football more recently for the Bears?
3. The Chicago Bears are starting to get value out of TJ Edwards
In the Chicago Bears' loss to the Green Bay Packers in week one, the team looked like they spent on two bad linebackers. T.J. Edwards was beaten clean by Aaron Jones for a touchdown that took them out of the game, and he was known for solid coverage ability.
While Tremaine Edmunds still has not improved enough, the Bears did get solid production out of T.J. Edwards in recent weeks. Edwards had that bad week one and started to get adjusted by week two. He was one of the few players to show something in the loss against the Chiefs, and the last two games have been his best.
He was clean against Washington and made a few impact plays against the Vikings. A strip on a potential sack led to a fumble recovery by Edmunds, and Edwards almost recovered a football of his own.
It is becoming clear that he is at his best when he is running towards the football. That can work in coverage at times as he defends the flats, but it can also limit everything they do with him.
Still, they signed him to be the number two linebacker, and right now, he is the best linebacker on the roster. That is good enough.
2. The Chiacgo Bears are seeing DeMarcus Walker improve
Through three weeks, DeMarcus Walker made almost no impact for the Chicago Bears. However, as time has gone by and he has started to ease into his role, his play has improved. Against Denver, we saw some of his best run defense work, which is mainly what the team signed him for.
Then, in the past two weeks, he has recorded ten pressures. Considering he has nine in the four other games combined, this is a bit of an improvement. It is disappointing, but the Bears are getting more out of Walker than Yannick Ngakoue at this point.
Walker has 19 pressures to 18 for Ngakoue, and he has a 9.5% win rate, while Ngakoue has a 4.7% win rate. When you factor in that Walker is making about half of the Ngakoue salary, and Walker is a much better run defender, he is the bargain right now.
Walker was signed to be a piece and not one of the biggest threats on the line. As the Bears get more talent around him, he is the type of player that you want to see mixing in and out of a versatile role. We are slowly seeing his value now.
1. Jack Sanborn remains an asset for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have struggled to find the right role for Jack Sanborn. He was playing well last year, but the team added TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, so his role would obviously be reduced. He was the SAM, but the team plays a ton of nickel, which means he is a sub-package player.
Early on it looked like Sanborn was struggling to get back to his ways of last year, but his last two games have been his best as well. After five missed tackles in the first four games, he has zero through these two. He also had three run stops, and a couple of them were really impressive tackles against the Minnesota Vikings.
Against the Commanders, they would let him play in the slot against wide receivers to stay heavy against a team that likes to run out of 11-personnel. That confidence in Sanborn is key. He has finally figured out his role, and he is playing well in it. Sanborn and Edwards are playing better; they just need to see a little more from Tremaine Edmunds.