Bears Reserve Defensive Trio Ready for Bigger Role
Player development has been a major goal of Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace since taking over in 2015.
The Bears have had a few players come through as draft picks and move through the ranks, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski being the prime example.
Now they have three young players on defense who coaches believe appear ready to ascend, to varying degrees.
One of those is a real surprise considering he was on the practice squad last year.
Bears 2019 seventh-round draft pick Stephen Denmark had barely been noticed since he went on the practice squad last season but defensive secondary coach Deshea Townsend sees him as a legitimate roster contender and candidate to be a backup.
"Yeah he's most definitely ready," Townsend said Thursday during a Zoom conference call with media. "The way that he finished his season up on practice squad last year with his improvement, and the (offseason) times we were able to Zoom, and for him to learn the defense was really big for him."
Bears coaches believe the lack of offseason work on the field let some players focus more intently in their Zoom meetings on understand the offense or defense better. In this case, Townsend sees evidence of this in Denmark.
"We were able to spend time and talk football, especially with a young guy that only played one year of corner," Townsend said.
Denmark had been a Valdosta State wide receiver who converted to cornerback for his senior year and so he's had only a season plus last year on the practice squad to play on defense.
"Just learning the game was huge for him," Townsend said. "Now that he can slow the game down and process it, you should be able to see some of his athletic ability and size that you all see. And if he can transfer that to playing, it should go well for him."
Denmark is 6-foot-2, 217 pounds. That's more the size of a safety than a cornerback. Except Denmark at a pro day recorded a phenomenal vertical leap of 43 1/2 inches.
"He's coming from a family of football players," Townsend said.
Denmark's brothers Stanley Jr., Brandon and Brian all played the sport but didn't make it onto an NFL roster.
The other two players coaches see as ascending to provide depth are linebackers Joel Iyiegbuniwe and Josh Woods. They could be in critical third and fourth linebacker spots where Kwiatkoski and Kevin Pierre-Louis played last year.
"I feel really good about where Joel Iyiegbuniwe and Josh Woods are," Bears inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone said. "I think those two guys are ready."
They must be because the Bears quickly jettisoned inside linebacker Devante Bond at the start of cutdowns to reach the 80-man COVID-19 roster limit. Bond had 33 games of NFL experience. Woods hasn't played on defense in a game yet and Iyiegbuniwe has been in on 26 defensive snaps.
In spring when the Bears went through their virtual offensive and defensive work, DeLeone had cited Kwiatkoski as a model for young Bears because of the jump he made and how it led to a big free agent contract with Las Vegas.
"I think these guys have the same chance to make those jumps," DeLeone said.
The difficult part for both is the problem plaguing many younger NFL players.
"I would say they just need to play," DeLeone said.
That's tough when there is no preseason.
"I mean like I think as far as next step goes, Joel was able to play on special teams as a rookie and then he was obviously a four-phase (special teams) guy for us this past year," DeLeone said. "Josh was on practice squad as a rookie and then last year became a four-phase special teams guy as the season progressed. I think now they just need to continue that transition.
"I think they’re doing a great job in practice. I think both guys play the run and the pass well. They both are built like linebackers. They can play run and pass. They can both run."
Woods should be able to run. He used to be a defensive back at Maryland before adding weight. He has one other "super power" according to DeLeone.
"I like to tell Josh that his emotion is his super power. OK? And it's all about how you use it," DeLeone said. "I love going to work and seeing him. He's got a smile on his face and I know what kind of energy he's going to bring to practice, walk-through, meeting, it doesn't matter."
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