Bear Digest

Key Bears offseason acquisition returns in time to disrupt run game

The Chicago Bears inactive list shows an emphasis on stopping the running game of the Baltimore Ravens as a player they counted on to disrupt plays for the first time since Week 3.
Gene Chamberlain|
The Bears will finally re-unveil one of their key offseason acquisitions on Sunday.
The Bears will finally re-unveil one of their key offseason acquisitions on Sunday. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

It's time for one Ryan Pole offseason acquisition to stand up and make an impact.  

The Bears listed defensive tackle Chris Williams as inactive and that means defensive tackle Grady Jarrett truly is back from a knee injury after it had looked like he might be back last week.

Jarrett has played only 107 snaps in the first six games after signing a three-year, $42.75 million deal.

An injured defensive tackle is going to have difficulty at the position Jarrett plays. A three-technique defensive tackle needs quickness and power in both legs to get into the gap and disrupt.

BEARS AND RAVENS GAME DAY INACTIVES

The Bears need the line-of-scrimmage disruption to keep Derrick Henry from building up a head of steam. Any pass rush assistance is appreciated but not necessarily as important as stopping the run with injured Lamar Jackson out of the lineup for Baltimore.

Jarrett hasn't been impactful on his 107 plays, and is graded 87th out of 125 interior defensive line players in the league by Pro Football Focus.

While PFF isn't the end-all, being 87th after a contract of that size is not helping the Bears' cause. Lack of production by the full line led to their last-place ranking against the run prior to their win over Washington two weeks ago.

They have momentum stopping the run after they finally got T.J. Edwards back healthy two games ago, but Henry and also backup QB Tyler Huntley can wreck that momentum. In fact, the Ravens can be counted on to try to hammer away at the Bears using power runs from Henry and also with healthy 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard returning.

Jarrett has four tackles on the season and three QB hits. He hasn't played since the win in Week 3 over Dallas and needs to be the disruptor on Sunday who stops Henry's backfield momentum and who who keeps that momentum going on a Bears front starting now to look the way they envisioned in the offseason.

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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.