The New Bears Linebackers
The Bears countdown to camp reaches players with jersey numbers in the 50s, and it's evident then how the franchise has retired too many numbers.
The Bears have retired 14 jersey numbers and at this time of year it makes the job of equipment manager Tony Medlin a bit more complicated as he assigns numbers.
There are four numbers of players in the 50s retired: 54 for linebacker Brian Urlacher, 56 for lineman Bill Hewitt, 51 for linebacker Dick Butkus and 50 for linebacker Mike Singletary.
Their other retired numbers belong to: 89 for tight end Mike Ditka, 77 for back Red Grange, 66 for center Bulldog Turner, 61 for linebacker Bill George, 42 for quarterback Sid Luckman, 41 for running back Brian Piccolo, 40 for running back Gale Sayers, 34 for running back Walter Payton, 28 for running back Willie Galimore, 7 for founder, coach and end George Halas, 5 for back and DB George McAfee and 3 for fullback Bronko Nagurski.
There are currently no offensive linemen with jersey numbers in the 40s and the linebackers have spilled over into the 90s.
Here are the Bears with jersey numbers 59-50 as countdown to camp continues.
No. 59 DE Carson Taylor
6-foot-3 1/2, 241 pounds
The Dossier: An extremely productive pass rusher and disrupter from Northern Arizona, who played all four seasons as a starter and recored 19 sacks and 36 tackles for loss. He played as heavy as 251 and in predraft interviews said he felt he has been most effective when he is allowed to stand up and rush, like the Bears had their edges doing last year. They've since gone to the 4-3 and the opposite approach up front with ends putting a hand in the dirt. Taylor had a very quick 1.7-second first 10 yards for a split in the 40 and ran 4.59 in the 40. He also had an outstanding 38-inch vertical leap at a pro day.
2022 Prospectus: He faces extensive competition from young backup defensive ends like Dominique Robinson and Charles Snowden, so it seems very unlikely he'd make the 53-man roster. Having played FCS level he hasn't faced the level of talent he'll be up against at camp so developing on the practice squad would be maxing out, but his physical advantages and past success indicate some skill for the Bears to cultivate.
No. 58 LB Roquan Smith
6-1, 232
The Dossier: Now playing weak side linebacker in the 4-3 instead of inside linebacker in a 3-4, Smith will apply his skill set in a different way and is hoping for both a big contract extension and finally a Pro Bowl berth this season. A two-time second-team All-Pro, Smith started every game each of the last two seasons. He has outstanding passer ratings against of 75.9, 59.6 and 76.8 when targeted each of the last three seasons. With five career interceptions, 14 sacks, 17 pass breakups and 17 hits on the quarterback Smith has been a key playmakerHe has 524 tackles, reaching 163 last year when he also had 95 solo tackles.
2022 Prospectus: The position switch could eventually allow Smith to make more plays than in the past. He'll be near the line of scrimmage, possibly even blitzing more than in the past, and will be better situated to come off the back side and wipe out running plays in the backfield. Now his new contract apparenntly comes down to whether he can do a deal for himself because he didn't have an agent during the offseason after firing his agency.
No. 57 LB Jack Sanborn
6-2, 238
The Dossier: A more classical, old school middle linebacker who is at his best running downhill and attacking backs. Sanborn had 29 tackles for loss at Wisconsin and as a blitzer was also strong with 11 1/2 sacks. He wasn't known as a strong pass defender, with four pass defenses, four interceptions and only one pick in his final two years. A Lake Zurich High School product who grew up just down the road from Halas Hall. He had a 4.73-second 40 time at the combine and a 34 1/2-inch vertical leap.
2022 Prospectus: A player who could break onto the roster and definitely the practice squad as an undrafted free agent because the linebacker group the Bears have behind Smith and Nicholas Morrow has a lack of polish and experience. At the very worst he could be a strong special teams contributor on coverage. The competition for one or two backup middle linebacker spots should be fierce.
No. 55 DE Al-Quadin Muhammad
6-4, 250
The Dossier: Signed for two years and $8 million total as an unrestricted free agent from Indianapolis, he has followed Bears coach Matt Eberflus to the team after a rather slow start to his career. It's his sixth season and the last four were with the Colts after coming into the league as a Saints sixth-round pick in 2017. He had no sacks for his first two seasons but has made 11 over the last three years, including a career-high six last year when he became a starter. He has 22 tackles for loss and 30 quarterback hits for his career.
2022 Prospectus: His role is unclear because he didn't into practices in the offseason, although he did show up for practices and watched from the sidelines later in OTAs and in minicamp. Most likely the role the Bears have planned for him is the first defensive end off the practice squad as an rotational pass rusher.
No. 53 LB Nicholas Morrow
6-foot, 225
The Dossier: An undersized off-ball linebacker and former Raiders free agent who signed in Chicago for $3 million this season. His 4.52-second speed and 20 pass breakups indicate he can have a big role in the team's pass defense. He has started only two games as a middle linebacker so his progress will be watched closely. Morrow had an interception each of the last two seasons and has 254 tackles, including 20 for losses.
2022 Prospectus: An ideal sidekick in pass coverage situations for Smith but the real concern is a middle linebacker who might have trouble against the run. He had relatively high missed tackle rates of 17.3% and 12.0% the first two seasons with the Raiders but improved significantly in 2020 to 8.2%. The Bears could use him as an alternate to a stronger run stuffer or could just go with Morrow as a starter all of the time. Either way, this figures to be the season when Morrow plays his most games.
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