The Chicago Bears concluded their first of two joint practices against the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday. This despite an interruption from a nasty thunderstorm. Initial reports out of the action paint a mixed picture. There were some areas of concern, of course. The offensive line predictably had issues blocking all afternoon. However, plenty of positives came out as well. Among the biggest? Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks can still wreck you.
The general assessment of practice was domination by opposing defensive lines. Miami had no answer for the Bears as they harassed Tua Tagovailoa constantly and didn’t give up much on the ground either. Leading the charge was Mack who according to Adam Jahns of The Athletic was pretty much unstoppable. As for Hicks? He might get slapped with accusations of bullying based on what he did to some of the Dolphins’ blockers.
“Mack gave right tackle Jesse Davis problems all day. He recorded multiple “sacks,” including one on Tagovailoa on the first play during a two-minute situation late in practice…
…One of the most impressive displays of strength came during one-on-one drills when Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks not only drove Dolphins right guard Robert Hunt off the line of scrimmage but nearly picked him up and carried him.”
It’s nice to know the two core members of the Bears defense remain this brutish.
They weren’t alone though. Robert Quinn had a “sack” of his own in drills and Bilal Nichols was in the backfield a lot too. Jeremiah Attaochu and Mario Edwards Jr. also stood out. Keep in mind they were playing without Eddie Goldman who remains sidelined on the COVID-19 list. So they weren’t even operating at full strength. A scary thought for their future opponents in the months to come.
The big question mark is the secondary. They had some issues during drills against the Dolphins wide receivers. Without the benefit of the rush, they struggled quite a bit in red zone drills. This is something a lot of people have had concerns about since Kyle Fuller was released a few months ago. Do they have enough talent on the back end to handle the array of strong receiving groups they’ll see this year?
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Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks must stay healthy
When those two are 100% and together on the field? They’ve proven time and again that they can take over football games. Hicks demanding double teams up the middle, forcing offenses to single-block Mack. The results become almost inevitable. If Quinn regains even a fraction of his Pro Bowl form from two years ago and Nichols keeps ascending? This pass rush has a chance to be really good in 2021.
That would help to cover up a secondary that is going through a transition period. They have some promising young guys in the mix but aren’t as proven as they were the past few years. Can Jaylon Johnson take the next step? Who will replace Fuller? Can Eddie Jackson regain his old form from three years ago? Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks being great would make all those questions less concerning.
Needless to say, this season will be educational for the defense.
All the more reason to hope the offense can pick up the slack more than have the past few years. They have to score more points. Having a revamped quarterback room led by Andy Dalton and Justin Fields should help. They have a receiving corps rich in speed and a large tight end group that can catch. Not to mention a deep running back room as well. It is difficult to predict how this season will go.
