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Bears Settle on Veteran Starters for Now on the Defensive Side

The first depth chart for the regular season doesn't lean toward the rookie class, although coach Ben Johnson made it clear the starting roles can be fluid.
Gene Chamberlain|
Xavier Woods closes in for a tackle against Tennessee in the preseason finale.
Xavier Woods closes in for a tackle against Tennessee in the preseason finale. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

The Bears defense heads into the opener preparing to face the Carolina Panthers with two starters who couldn't have been foreseen before training camp.

The team's first regular-season depth chart was released Tuesday, after their website left open the defensive tackle slot opposite veteran Grady Jarrett on previous depth charts while rookie Jordan van den Berg and veterans Kentavius Street and Neville Gallimore did battle. Other previous depth charts had Gervon Dexter in the position, but he was traded last week The winner is Street, according to the newest depth chart. He'll be backed up by van den Berg, with Gallimore backing up Street.

The other starting slot made clear on Tuesday was Xavier Woods at safety, with Cam Lewis moving in at slot cornerback. This position was entirely unclear because the Bears had Woods practicing with backups much of the time and used Lewis as a safety. Meanwhile, they had rookie Malik Muhammad on the field most of the time at slot cornerback starter, but he apparently won't get the nod with the first team against Bryce Young and Co.

Street was with the Saints in 2022 under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, but had not been a starter. He was a practice squad player in Atlanta last year. And Gallimore had actually started more games in his NFL career (26) than Street. Gallimore started and Street didn't play in the last preseason game, but few of the starters did play. Street started in the preseason loss to Cincinnati, but at the time it wasn't clear where any of the defensive tackles stood, but they settled on Gallimore as a three-technique backup to Grady Jarrett and Street over van den Berg, although it wouldn't shock anyone to see van den Berg eventually starting.

The 30-year-old Street has started 10 games in seven NFL seasons.

"Quite honestly, I think he was the most productive tackle we had throughout the course of training camp," defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said of Street. "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, (defensive line coach) Jeremy (Garrett), (senior defensive assistant/defensive line) Bill (Johnson), (defensive quality control) Zach (Cable), all those guys are coaching and how we want to play that position.

"I think he's been productive throughout the course of training camp, and hopefully we'll be able to continue that.”

The defensive back situation is probably one where they'll get Muhammad plays in the slot even if he isn't on the field at the outset. He spent almost all of training camp playing the inside position rather than his natural position outside at cornerback. They're apparently counting on Lewis' veteran experience more over Muhammad and this is understandable. The Bears will already have one rookie DB at safety in Dillon Thieneman, and putting Muhammad in will mean he'll be attacked from the very first snap.

"I would think so," Johnson said. :I would think any rookie that’s out there, they’re gonna get tested, whether it’s a guy on defense. I bring up our long snapper. That’s a common practice — you get a rookie long snapper and they can end up trying to give us some different punt rushes there just to put him in a little bit of a spin cycle if they can.

"But, yeah, it’s called being a rookie in this league. The more experience we get over the course of the season, the more we go through that, the better off we’ll be."

It's not cemented yet

For that reason, expect Muhammad to get some reps, anyway.

Johnson pointed out no one's starting status is actually cemented until late in the week, whether it's these players, receivers or even Braxton Jones at left tackle over rehabbing Ozzy Trapilo. But these were the players in those starting positions as they began face the Panthers.

"It’s every position that’s being evaluated," he said. "I just talked to the skill guys on offense. Right now I don’t know when we line up in certain personnel groups who’s going to be our receivers right now. It’s early. By the time we get to Friday, Saturday, that’s when we’ll stamp them. They’ve earned that during the course of the week. I don’t think it’s any different for the offensive line.

"Just because I’m saying that here on a Tuesday doesn’t mean that’s how it always shakes out. He’s gotta earn that, Braxton does, as do all the players that are going to be active on game day. They gotta earn it. They gotta show us that they deserve to be out there. That’s how we go about it in this building and I think they understand that."

Ultimately this all says Allen has confidence in his veteran guys, but the rookies will have their day even if it's not the opener.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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