The Chicago Bears pivot from Dre'Mont Jones and sign DeMarcus Walker

When Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears missed out on Dre'Mont Jones, they quickly pivoted to DeMarcus Walker. Dre'Mont Jones was easily the top prize at defensive tackle after Javon Hargrave signed a four-year deal with the 49ers. Reports all day were that the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns were the frontrunners. My first thought was Cleveland had the upper hand since Jones was from Cleveland and the Browns have a history of overpaying players. Well, it turns out that Seattle swooped in and signed Jones to a three-year deal worth $51 million dollars.

It did not take long for Ryan Poles to pivot from Jones. I'm not sure if they already had DeMarcus Walker in their sights no matter if they were able to secure Jones or not. Either way, let's see exactly what Poles and the Bears are getting in DreMont Walker.

2022 was a breakout year for Walker. He finished with seven sacks while playing on 37% of the Titans' defensive snaps -- talk about efficiency. The problem is, his prior years were not remotely close. He had two sacks in 2021 for the Texans and 4.5 sacks for Denver in 2020. The good news is that he has had 31 pressures total over the last two years.

Where do the Chicago Bears see DeMarcus Walker in this defense?

Now, the question is, where does Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus envision DeMarcus Walker in this defense? If we go back to his rookie year with Denver, the team clearly thought they were getting an interior lineman who can pressure the quarterback. He was selected in the second round and played as the 3-technique for four years. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Walker played 447 snaps at the 3-technique over a four-year span in Denver. He only played 244 snaps at defensive end.

Things changed once Walker left Denver though. Two years ago, while playing in Houston, Walker saw 143 snaps as the Texans' 3-technique but 244 snaps at defensive end. Last season, Walker played 124 snaps at the 3-technique and 290 snaps as a defensive end. The shift from an interior pass rusher to an end did equate to 31 pressures over the last two years. He saw half of that over the two-year span he saw similar snaps as the 3-technique for Denver.

It appears to me that Ryan Poles likes the versatility he's seeing in DeMarcus Walker's film. He gives the Chicago Bears more adaptability during the 2023 NFL Draft. Walker signed a three-year deal worth $21 million and $16 million guaranteed. That tells me he will be here for at least two seasons.

The little bit of film I quickly watched on DeMarcus Walker, he is best suited as a 3-technique in this defense. He is versatile too, but I'm guessing he replaces Justin Jones. Let's see if I call that one right or not. What's next in free agency?