After narrowly missing out on Matthew Judon just over a week ago, general manager Ryan Poles and company have found help on the edge in former Seattle Seahawk Darrell Taylor. Taylor, a four-year pro out of Tennessee, was acquired for a sixth-round pick in next year's NFL Draft, but the player's contributions this season may far outweigh the draft costs.
Trade! The #Seahawks are sending LB Darrell Taylor to the #Bears for a 2025 sixth-round pick, per source. pic.twitter.com/eCKZ6bb71G
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 23, 2024
Taylor, the 48th overall pick in 2020, effectively redshirted his rookie season due to an offseason injury. Nonetheless, the edge rusher has been productive and healthy since, finishing with 21.5 sacks over three seasons, including 9.5 in 2022 after recording just three starts in 16 games.
A quality edge rusher who could help the Bears immediately, Taylor is well-known amongst NFL fans for some of his more exuberant moments on the field (seen below).
After Derek Carr's first Interception, a 12th player from the Seahawks bench ran onto the field and started blocking 😂 pic.twitter.com/x4CDDSfdlI
— Sanjit T. (@Sanjit__T) November 28, 2022
This is just incredible. Darrell Taylor hits Goff forever late. pic.twitter.com/XaKf2uMhK2
— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) September 22, 2023
These two plays do not necessarily represent Taylor's professional career thus far, but they do match the first two pillars of Coach Eberflus's HITS principles (Hustle, Intensity, Turnovers, Smarts). It is not the best for a player to lose track of the ball and (illegally) plant the opposing QB or run onto the field in the middle of a play, but if a player is going to be "wrong", it's better to do so at 100 miles per hour, rather than making a timid mistake.
Taylor's hustle and intensity may be a factor in why the Chicago Bears were eager to acquire the young player shortly after finishing the preseason with an undefeated record. Still, the edge rusher's physical profile may have been the driving force. Listed at 6'4" and 267 lbs, Taylor is a big, long, quick edge defender who will fold in well with the Bears' defensive line rotation.
Taylor credits his size and athleticism to the genetics of his late mother Peggy, a dominant 6'1" power forward in her prime. Sadly, Peggy lost her battle with breast cancer in 2013 during Darrell's sophomore year in high school, and the young man turned to football as his sanctuary. Now a father himself, Darrell's love for his family and memory of his beloved mother are driving factors in his professional life and mindset on and off the field.
In Chicago, Taylor will likely be battling with rookie Austin Booker for playing time opposite of Montez Sweat, but it is impossible not to root for the energetic, loving family man looking to take the next step as an elite pass rusher in the NFL.