The Chicago Bears signed Rasheem Green just a couple of weeks before the 2023 NFL draft. The deal is not going to be for big money, and is probably just a one-year shot. Green has some upside, but he has not shown much to get fans excited about the addition.
Will Rasheem Green start for the Chicago Bears?
It is easy to brush off the signing and say that it is just a depth move and not a needle mover. However, while Green is unknown to Bears fans, nobody in the NFL knows of Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson. There is a real chance that Green is a better player than Gipson and Robinson, and last year, he was.
Green had 19 run stops last year, and Gipson just had 11. Green also had a 3% higher run stop rate, per PFF. He was much better against the run on a snap-by-snap basis. Considering the Chicago Bears' run defense was so poor it is easy to see them leaning to the better run defender.
Still, the pass rush is close, if not leaning to Green as well. Green had four fewer pressures, but he had fewer pass rush attempts. His pass rush productivity and overall win rate were higher than Gipson and Robinson last season. So, Green and Gipson are close as rushers, and Green is better against the run without question. When you add in that Gipson is not even a Ryan Poles player, he is probably sliding down the depth chart.
The reality is that the Chicago Bears will be adding more edge rushers into the mix. The NFL draft will feature one and at least two more edge rushers. That could certainly push Rasheem Green back into the depth role that so many have him projected for.
As of right now, DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green are the starters on the ends. When you consider that Walker slides inside about 40%, and Green slides inside about 15%, Green could lead the Chicago Bears in defensive end snaps as the team stands right now. We will see how the NFL draft changes this.