The Chicago Bears made some unusual roster decisions this summer. Most of them were of the minor variety. Not retaining training camp standout Kaden Davis was one. Trading Gervon Dexter was another. Yet the one that caught most people by surprise was Kentavius Street. The former Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle signed with the Bears this offseason at the behest of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who previously coached him in 2022 with the New Orleans Saints. That in itself wasn’t a big deal. The Bears needed defensive tackle depth. He was a veteran with starting experience.
What nobody was prepared for was Allen’s announcement after the preseason ended that Street would likely replace Dexter in the starting lineup.
“He was the most productive tackle we had throughout the course of training camp,” Allen said. “He’s got the suddenness and the explosiveness off the ball that we’re looking for to create penetration and disrupt the line of scrimmage. And he’s really taken to the things that (we) are coaching and how we want to play that position. He’s been productive throughout the course of training camp and hopefully we’ll be able to continue that.”
This is such a bizarre decision. After all, nobody once mentioned Street in practice reports, and he didn’t register a single interior pressure during either of his preseason appearances. Meanwhile, Neville Gallimore, James Lynch, and Jordan Van Den Berg all stood out. Where is this confidence coming from? Nobody else has seen what Allen talked about.
Kentavius Street is a downgrade.
Let’s make that clear right now. Dexter wasn’t perfect as an interior pass rusher. He may have lacked the burst Allen prefers, but he still had 6 sacks and 43 pressures last season. The most pressures Street has managed in a season was 19, doing so in back-to-back seasons in 2021 and 2022. His career high in sacks is 3.5. Just because he might be more naturally suited to what Allen likes doesn’t make him a superior option. If Street hasn’t had a breakout year by now, why should anybody think it’s coming at age 29?
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He certainly wasn’t brought in for his run defense. Kentavius Street has routinely graded poorly at stopping the run since coming into the league. His 49.9 grade last season ranked 121st among defensive tackles. That is the price you pay for being 6’2″ and 287 lbs. If he were closer to John Randall or Aaron Donald, that wouldn’t be a problem. He is not. It is difficult not to feel like Allen is letting their brief experience together four years ago cloud his better judgment at the position.
A lot is being placed on faith.
Right now, there isn’t enough evidence to justify Street being the starter. Nothing about his career up to this point says. Just because he’s been the most “productive” in training camp doesn’t mean that will translate to actual games. It hasn’t yet happened in his career. There is such a thing as being a player who’s great in practice but not in games, just like the reverse is true. Allen is under a lot of pressure to improve this defense in 2026. Decisions like this don’t seem like they’re helping his case.
He’d better hope Street lives up to the praise, or one of the other guys, like Van Den Berg or Gallimore, masks the decision by playing well. Otherwise, that decision to trade Dexter will look like a monumental blunder. Head coach Ben Johnson has given Allen mostly free rein on defense. This unit is his baby now. He wants to run it his way with his preferred personnel. Street fits the profile. Whether he can actually play at a high level remains to be seen.
