Assembling Bears Defense Piece by Piece

One player comes back, another leaves.

Two come back and two more go out.

It's been this way for the Bears defense since the end of the first "stack" of practices, as coach Matt Eberflus calls them, or a time starting with the end of July.

Defensive end DeMarcus Walker, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, safety Jaquan Brisker and safety Eddie Jackson have all gone through recent injury issues.

They brought in defensive end Yannick Ngakoue late.

Now Walker, one of the group's leaders, is back and Ngakoue is practicing but Edmunds, Brisker and Jackson are all battling injuries, Jackson's is the newest and something coach Matt Eberflus doesn't consider serious enough to be long term.

Yet, at this point with the end of preseason approaching, any injury can be a threat to where the defense wants to be for the Sept. 10 opener with the Green Bay Packers.

"I mean, I just want to see all of the gangsters together, you know what I'm saying?" Walker said. "I just want to see all of the gangsters together—you know everybody healthy and everybody on one mind, one team, one defense."

He hasn't seen it yet. No one has. No one probably will.

"We need to get those guys back shortly and were hopeful of that and we need to get the communication here with (Kyler Gordon) and (Tremaine Edmunds) and (Eddie Jackson) and (T.J. Edwards)—the guys that are running the defense—and making sure we’re squared away down in and down out, and like I said previous in the week, we’re getting that work in walk-throughs, which is outstanding," Eberflus said. "We get a ton of walk-throughs, so I’m excited to see where that progresses to this week coming up and in the future.”

The depth they have and fitted pieces look like a decent mix on paper. What they saw in the first preseason game was encouraging.

"I feel like we've done a good job, even the guys who are a little banged up right now," linebacker T.J. Edwards said. "They're at every walk-through they're at every meeting. So we're getting that time with them and communciaton.

"I think right now kind of what you want is making sure we're all on the same page."

The first game was an indication the mix of young players with a group of veteran leaders is working, even if it's not entirely in place.

The eight sacks and 10 quarterback hits, two interceptions with six pass defenses, four tackles for loss and three forced fumbles showed they're getting what Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams preach.

However, what they saw from the defense in terms of overall attitude meant even more to some of the veterans who sat out, like Walker.

"I mean from 0-100, I give them 250," Walker said. "I'm so excited to see the guys make plays and the young guys continue to develop. Their eagerness is throughout the roof."

Edwards feels like the energy generated from the young secondary blends well with experience from people like Walker, defensive tackle Justin Jones and Edmunds.

"I think just the hunger," Edwards said. "I feel like we go out there every day, no one is complacent about a thing, no one is satisifed with what happened the day before."

It would seem with injuries affecting players as key veteran leaders like Jackson and Edmunds, and both safeties being among the injured, they would be unlikely to rush anyone back before the regular season.

So don't count on seeing the whole group together.

The first look they have at the first-team defense together might be their Wednesday practice of game week.

"I think all those guys would rather be on the field for sure, but we also want to be smart about understanding the season is coming up and we want everyone to feel as best as we can," Edwards said.

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