Small Problems Can Become Big Ones for Bears

Three issues not entirely urgent at the moment could eventually be critical unless the Bears see answers soon.

Problems can sneak up on a team, especially during preseason when they might be focused on correcting weaknesses.

What appeared a solid area one day is suddenly a question mark.

The Bears have three of these situations in the process at the moment. Their pass rush might be improving, their short passes turned into big gains but lurking in the background are issues eating away as they head to Indianapolis on Tuesday to practice Wednesday and Thursday evening.

1. Linebacker Depth

If this seems like a minor issue, consider what happened last year to the defense when Roquan Smith got traded and they were relying on Nicholas Morrow, Jack Sanborn, Joe Thomas and occasionally Matthew Adams. It's why they went out and signed Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Dylan Cole, and drafted Noah Sewell to go with Sanborn.

Don't look now but they keep losing practice time for starters and backups with linebackers getting hurt. Edmunds has been out a few weeks now. Cole has been in and out of the lineup virtually every other day at training camp.

In Edmunds' case, coach Matt Eberflus said he's not worried about the regular season being at risk, although they won't reveal the extent or nature of the injury.

Then backup DeMarquis Gates missed the last practice.

They signed former Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker on Monday as a possible reserve and this upgraded the overall group but the numbers didn't get better because they also cut linebacker Kuony Deng when they did it. Walker has started 20 games so he can be a depth and special teams asset.

However, the depth issues persist with all the injuries. It was reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC that the Bears have also worked out former University of Illinois linebacker Isaac Darkangelo, per league source. Darkangelo is an undrafted free agent the Lions signed after the draft but they waived him in late May when they signed former Bears offensive lineman Germain Ifedi.

Darkangelo made 78 tackles, inckluding 7 1/2 for loss last year for the Illini.

It's not the starters anyone questions, and Noah Sewell has made a statement about being able to serve as first backup, but for depth and also special teams play the Bears are hurting at this position and it seems to be getting worse.

2. Inexperience at Backup Tackle

Larry Borom's experience is 17 starts in the NFL and he's the third tackle behind a rookie starter and Braxton Jones, who also has 17 starts. It's always best to have someone dependable to step in as a starter at an offensive line position if something happens. Do the Bears have this in Borom? He has had average to slightly above-average Pro Football Focus grades in his first two seasons. Yet, they had so little confidence in him they brought in Riley Reiff at the last minute last season and Reiff ended up taking away Borom's job.

There has been a shuffle going on behind Borom. For one Alex Leatherwood hasn't been playing much tackle at all. He's been relegated guard, but with Nate Davis returning now to practice in Indianapolis it's possible Leatherwood could get more practice time at tackle. The Raiders didn't consider him a tackle after trying him there first, and eventually waived him last year.

Behind them, the shift has been Aviante Collins moving into the left tackle spot behind Jones and Borom. They had been lining up Kellen Diesch there earlier in camp but Collins has taken most of the snaps there with the backups and did it in the game against Tennessee. Collins is a 30-year-old undrafted free agent who had a start and five games played with the Vikings in 2017 and 2019 and three offensive plays with Dallas last year. Whether he's done much isn't certain, it's just that he has been playing ahead of Diesch and other tackles but behind Borom for two-plus weeks.

Either way, this is a position to look at for possible upcoming additions.

3. The Chase Claypool Effect

The apparent hamstring issue Chase Claypool suffers from -- he grabbed it before leaving practice, the Bears didn't officially announce this as an injury -- is only part of the problem here.

The Bears are just getting Dante Pettis back in the swing of practicing after missing every practice of training camp on the non-football injury list. Equanimeous St. Brown had an apparent injury in practice last week but managed to play in the game.

Both Tyler Scott and Velus Jones Jr. had poor plays in the game. Scott had everyone eager to see what he could do and he fumbled a completion. Jones did what everyone feared and misplayed two punts, fumbling one of them.

So after Darnell Mooney, and with Claypool gone, there are real questions about the quality of receiver again for the Bears.

Fortunately they have DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney available. As long as Claypool is out, it's a steep drop-off at receiver to No. 3. It's too soon to get worried about this. No one knows the severity of Claypool's injury, but last year Jones had a hamstring at about this time same time of preseason and the Bears didn't really see him 100% until Week 4.

Signing someone now is not really an option, especially considering Claypool's injury isn't severe enough for the Bears to comment on it.

This is one the Bears need to tough out while hoping no other receivers come up with injuries down deeper on the roster to undermine their depth.

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