The Chicago Bears have struggled to make believers out of people in 2018. It can’t be a big shock. This team hasn’t had a .500 record since 2013 and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010. There’s no credibility for this new group of players and coaches, so why should experts and fans buy in? They haven’t been given reason to.
Well, not entirely anyway. One group that has started to turn heads is the defense. Guided by Vic Fangio, the unit finished 2017 in the top 10 as one of the more overlooked defenses in football. It stands to get even better in 2018. Not only is Fangio back on a new three-year deal, but major reinforcements also arrived.
It started when the team spent the #8 overall pick in the draft on Georgia star Roquan Smith. Many believe he was the best middle or inside linebacker to come out of college since Luke Kuechly. He alone looked like a formidable addition. Then Chicago swung for the fences, trading a large package of future picks to Oakland for star pass rusher Khalil Mack.
These two potentially franchise-altering moves have turned a lot of heads. Chris Wesseling of NFL.com even went so far as to shower massive praise on one position group in particular.
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Chicago Bears linebackers ranked 2nd best in the entire league
No position has defined Bears defense throughout the many decades more than linebacker. Their Mount Rushmore of Hall of Famers at that position say it all: Bill George, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and now Brian Urlacher. It seems this new defense is set to uphold that same tradition as Wesseling listed only the Denver Broncos with a better group than Chicago.
“Notables: Khalil Mack, Leonard Floyd, Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, Nick Kwiatkoski, Aaron Lynch.
Even before the earth-shattering Mack trade, the Bears had an intriguing defense with Butkus Award winner Smith joining Trevathan and Floyd at linebacker. The big question was whether savvy coordinator Vic Fangio could fix his pass-rushing problems by reuniting with Lynch, whom he coached with the 49ers in 2014, and resuscitating his career. Now that Mack is on board, Chicago is a dark horse candidate to emerge as the NFL’s top defense.”
It’s not hard to see the optimism. Mack is an All-Pro pass rusher and former Defensive Player of the Year. Trevathan won a Super Bowl with Denver. Smith and Floyd are both former 1st round picks with high upside. There’s a ton of potential with that group and they’re under the tutelage of Fangio who is known for being a linebacker specialist.
The scary part is this unit is still pretty young:
- Trevathan – 28
- Mack – 27
- Floyd – 26
- Kwiatkoski – 25
- Lynch – 24
- Smith – 21
There’s a chance this group can grow together for the next 3-5 years if health or money issues don’t get in the way. That is great news for the defense. History shows that when the linebackers play well, the Bears win football games.
