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Bear Digest

Ideal Defensive Line Trade Acquisition for Bears Is Not an Edge Rusher

The biggest problem facing Dennis Allen's defense is not rushing off the edge but is stopping the run, and there could be one real answer in this trade market.
Gene Chamberlain|
Buccaneers defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson celebrates with the ball against the Vikings.
Buccaneers defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson celebrates with the ball against the Vikings. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

As it draws closer to this year's later Nov. 10 trade deadline, the contending Bears will be attached more and more to potential players to acquire.

Barring some sort of unforeseen disaster between now and then, they'll be in the playoff hunt and can use help. There are plenty of winless teams and those teetering on the brink of a rebuilding year who will have players to deal away. Pro Football Focus' Bradley Locker has identified some of the players for teams to pursue.

Like with most people looking at the trade market, Locker calls the Bears potential landing spots for about any defensive end who comes up. These people all miss the real need they have on defense.

Oh, getting another edge would definitely not hurt, but their edge rush is not holding them back. The only things keeping them from being unbeaten at the moment are D'Andre Swift couldn't hold onto the ball at the 1-yard line, Caleb Williams' hamstring gave out on him, and rookie Sam Roush couldn't throw a simple field goal block.

The one consistent defensive failure hasn't been their pass rush or their edge rush. It's been their run defense. When teams start to exploit this then there will be trouble elsewhere, like in their rush and cover. There will be more pressure on their offense to produce then, too.

The Bears are currently No. 3 in the league in pressure percentage applied with their pass rush, at 35.3%. Only the Vikings (39%) and Raiders (35.6%) are better than they are. The Bears are the No. 1 team in the league at hurrying the quarterback at 17.2%, according to Pro Football Reference. They're doing much of it with the blitz, and in this respect it is dangerous. They blitz at the fourth-highest rate (35.3%) and would no doubt like to play more coverage and commit fewer to the rush.

However, they are a respectable 14th in the league according to ESPN's pass rush win rate. So they're not doing this all entirely with their blitz.

It's the run, always the run

All of this talk of pass rushers is not their problem. The problem is stopping the run.

They are the same 29th in the league in yards allowed per rush that they were last year. They are failing as run stoppers again and it's only going to take one team committed to the run to burn them and show others the way. Someone like Atlanta would be their worst nightmare. Maybe the Patriots or Seahawks would be, as well.

Maybe the Packers unearth a running game this week, although they definitely haven't shown this ability so far.

The defensive player who could really help the Bears block the road on the ground is Tampa Bay defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson.

To some extent, Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne would fit that category, as well. But Payne's cost and inability over the past several years to have much impact after he got a big raise is a red flag. The Bears certainly have never had a problem running on the Commanders with Payne on their defense.

A'Shawn Robinson is the answer

Robinson is somewhat familiar with Ben Johnson, as a former Lions player in Johnson's first season there. More importantly, he is versatile for a 6-foot-4, 320-pounder and a major reason the Buccaneers are No. 3 in run defense even though they are about another loss or two from being beyond hope for this year. They're already 0-4 and only one 0-4 team has ever even made the playoffs, the Chargers in 1992.

Either way, the run defense for the Bears surrenders 4.9 yards per rush. Grady Jarrett grades out as their best defensive tackle against the run, according to Pro Football Focus. He is only 101st out of 178 interior defensive linemen they have graded. Their big additions up front are not getting the job done at all, by PFF's analysis. Neville Gallimore is 123rd, Kentavius Street 155th and rookie Jordan van den Berg 128th out of 178 defensive tackles against the run.

Meanwhile, Robinson is a 31-year-old veteran the Buccaneers signed for only this season. So they won't have him next year, anyway. He is a free draft pick for them.

His deal was $10 million. He is No. 2 in the entire league as a defensive tackle who stops the run.

Robinson would be an ideal one-year stop-gap for the Bears defense, a rent-a-player for this season who can benefit them on first down or short yardage. They could keep offenses in passing situations by holding them to less than 4 yards per rush, then could blitz less. The passer rating-against rate would drop drastically while interceptions rates could climb.

It's as simple as earning the right to rush the passer by stopping the run. The Bears need to do something about stopping the run as they're leaking all over the place.

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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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