At the start of 2019, Chicago Bears fans were so excited about the promise of Bilal Nichols. The 5th round rookie was an unexpected gem in 2018, notching three sacks and a number of tackles for loss. They had big expectations for him last year. He was the starting defensive end opposite Akiem Hicks. What would he do for an encore?
The answer is not much.
A few things went against him early in the season. First and most important was he broke his hand. It happened in Week 2 up in Denver. This forced him to wear a cast for most of the season afterward. Then not too long later, Hicks was lost to an elbow injury. All of that worked against the young defender as he failed to register a sack.
Thus the enthusiasm on him cooled noticeably going into 2020.
That’s when things took an interesting turn. Eddie Goldman, the Bears’ stud nose tackle, chose to opt out of playing this season. That left the team with a dilemma. Who do they slide into that spot? To the surprise of many, they decided to shift Nichols there. An unorthodox move, but based on what many in the Bears media have witnessed not a crazy one.
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He’s created a lot of havoc in drills, looking quick and explosive. It led some to wonder if this was just the usual training camp enthusiasm. Adam Hoge of NBC Sports decided to go all-in, making it clear he has huge expectations for the 23-year old this year.
“That’s where Bilal Nichols comes in. From my eyes, he looked great in training camp. He’s already filling a huge void left behind by Eddie Goldman opting out of the season, but Nichols’ long-term development continues to be a big storyline for the Bears. The former fifth round pick has a chance to be more than a good rotational player and he could take off this year. It wouldn’t surprise me if Nichols is knocking on the door of a long-term extension this time next year and the Bears would greatly welcome that.”
Bilal Nichols has plenty to motivate him this year
Most would assume the obvious driving force for Nichols this season would be what happened in 2019. He underperformed and is anxious to rectify that. However, people seem to forget that his contract is going to become a talking point soon. He’s entering his third year of a four-year deal. This is typically when teams start discussing the possibility of extensions for their draft picks.
Eddie Jackson got his in January this year after a strong 2019. That was his third season. Goldman scored his big extension just prior to the 2018 season, again after three years. GM Ryan Pace will be watching the entire 2018 draft class this year to see if anybody deserves that big payday. Nichols can be one of those guys.