Rotations Remove Rookie Pressure Cooker

Due to rotations and more depth, the pressure facing this Bears rookie class is generally less than last year when more needed to produce as starters right away.

There are numerous reasons the Bears set themselves up well with this draft.

There seems little doubt they have, despite an obvious inability to find an edge rusher in it.

Most are need-related and player-specific, but critics came away impressed.

Matt Miller of ESPN put four Bears in his top 50 picks made, and six in his top 100. The Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer rated draft classes from 1 to 32 and the Bears came in fifth.

Matt Bowen of ESPN put them down as being the class that will have the biggest immediate impact.

This is the difficult part. Finding rookies who make immediate impacts is not easy but the Bears could actually find it's possible this year.

Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, writing for VSIN.com, has pointed out how most rookies are going to struggle and it's a fact fans of teams fail to comprehend.

"Rookies are just not ready, and despite the positivity, we must remind ourselves the season is long, the work is hard, and most players are not prepared for what lies ahead," Lombardi wrote.

It's true and it's why many don't make it or a good number do after working their way into their roles. Thrusting players into an entirely new professional setting and into different roles is never a simple matter. Too much pressure from too big a role right away can be a disaster for many.

Guard Teven Jenkins looked like someone in that situation as a rookie after his surgery. He got thrown into the fire at tackle and struggled. Last year he was at right tackle worked into the starting lineup at right guard and now looks like one of their better blockers.

Part of the reason the Bears might be able to do as Bowen suggests, and expect more from their rookie class is because of how their rookie assignments and their draft itself set up.

A reminder that Gervon Dexter is one of the best defensive tackles in the country. Outplayed Tim Smith, Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis this season statistically and on film. pic.twitter.com/dfulUBFweh

— Jerry Jr. (@JBreezyII) December 27, 2021

There is only one player in the group who is going to be thrust into an extremely difficult situation and this is first-round pick Darnell Wright, the 10th pick overall.

As the 10th pick, much needs to be expected of him, anyway. He should be able to handle the assignment if he's getting picked so early and is getting the bigger money.

However, other players come into situations where they'll be allowed to flourish or to work themselves into roles of productivity.

It wasn't this way last year as Kyler Gordon and Jaquaon Brisker had to come in and produce immediately, and faced pressure. Even a great deal was expected of Velus Jones Jr., their third-rounder. He didn't deliver.

The rest of the first Ryan Poles draft class is still trying to find a way to become productive, with one major exception. That was left tackle Braxton Jones.

Jones was an immediate starter, went the entire season and succeeded without missing a game despite one major flaw—inconsistency at handling bull rushers, something that plagues many young NFL tackles.

The fact it was a tackle they found who could fit in right away speaks well for their chances of Wright being able to do it.

Most of the Bears rookie class of 2023 doesn't know how good they have it except for Wright. They are set up to succeed because of pressure removed, compared to some players who had to tough it out last year. 

They merely need to go out and compete. They are not going to be overtaxed with excessive game pressure down-in and down-out as they work into rotations.

Here are the situations the come into without tons of pressure, which allows them to work better into roles.

1. Defensive Tackle Duo

It benefits both second-round pick Gervon Dexter and third-rounder Zacch Pickens that the Bears have Justin Jones at starting defensive tackle. They don't need to be immediatley thrown into the fray. Beyond that, what Poles did in selecting two potential three-techniques so early and with the team's second and fourth picks was to immediately remove pressure from both.

It's not critical to have the immediate production from both. Neither gets thrust into the starting spot immediately and both can rotate in to provide Jones with rest while learning the pro game in stages. They can compete, but remove the pressure of immediacy from each other as they learn.

2. Cornerback Abundance

With an experienced but flawed starter in place in Kindle Vildor, the Bears drafted a third second-round cornerback who can try to take the job away in training camp. He doesn't need to come in and be the answer from Day 1 the way they expected from Gordon. The dual role of outside cornerback and then slot in passing situations challenged Gordon greatly last year.

The Bears like to say slot is his position but the truth was Gordon graded out best on Pro Football Focus' system during the games at season's end when he played outside and not in the slot. He had two of his three interceptions in the final three games and began getting more time then on the outside. Slot is a more difficult place to play. Of this there can be little doubt. Receivers can go left, right, forward or back there, while they're limited to three directions playing out on the boundary.

Stevenson doesn't have to prove himself immediately because of Vildor and he's not going to get thrust into playing slot because of Gordon's presence.

The Bears even took more pressure away by double-drafting at cornerback the way they did at defensive tackle with three techniques. Adding Terell Smith bulks up depth and makes it less critical the Bears get immediate production from one rookie. Both new cornerbacks have time to work their way into a difficult position to play.

3. The Crowded Backfield

Most rookies might consider severe job competition at running back a difficult thing. On the defensive line, and especially in the Bears scheme, they need to have rotation to keep players fresh so they're able to continually shoot gaps throughout a game. So the more the merrier.

No running back likes giving up carries to the backup. Everyone wants to be Walter Payton or Earl Campbell or Derrick Henry and stack up the opportunities to gain big yards.

However, most NFL running back situations lean heavily on rotations in the backfield now and even on the committee approach. Roschon Johnson comes to the Bears touted as an all-purpose type and that could mean eventually he is their main running back. He also has very little tread on the tires, so to speak. This also lends itself to more pro carries than some rookies might get.

The offense already had D'Onta Foreman, Khalil Herbert and Travis Homer linedup for the backfield, as well as Trestan Ebnber. Bringing in Johnson almost seemed excessive but it's more a way of looking to the future at the position and this year with so many backs it's a luxury for Johnson because he can take his time and learn the game properly without as much pressure to produce.

Perfect that this highlight of new #Bears running back Roschon Johnson has @jasonbenetti on the call. https://t.co/h6Humbz5Tz

— Cheryl (Raye) Stout (@Crayestout) April 29, 2023

4. Niche Skill Sets

While rookies might find it difficult to come in and play every down right away, they can have a particular skill sets that can be utilized to get them occasional playing time.

This is another way of working them into the lineup without pressure.

Although the Bears use their linebackers in coverage and to cover gaps defending the run, they don't blitz much. They were 25th in percentage of plays blitzing, which might not be expected from a team so poor at getting sacks—they were last at it with 20. Don't anticipate linebacker Noah Sewell's ability to blitz in college went unnoticed by the Bears even if they don't blitz. They even talked a bit about this skill set he had that Oregon utilized. He was adept at coming into the A-gap and getting to a QB. They seem to have missed this ability when Roquan Smith was traded.

Seventh-round safety Kendall Wilkinson looks like a fundamentally sound open-field tackler, the kind of player who can figure in as a goal-line substitute or in special packages. Dexter is also like this because of his great height. A player on the line with long reach can be especially disruptive in third-and-5 or third-and-4 when a QB wants to look for a receiver on a slant for a quick drive-extending completion. Pickens has been particularly effective at anticipating snaps and such a skill is easily transferable to a goal-line defensive package.

Noah Sewell sack pic.twitter.com/0od75fV5o4

— Tyler Browning (@DiabeticTyler) December 23, 2022

5. Special Purpose

They found several players in this draft with good ability to produce in special teams coverage and they'll no doubt do this before they have bigger roles on defense. Receiver Tyler Scott will face a battle getting playing time with at least four or five wide receivers ahead of him, if not more. However, he has a real toughness/speed ratio allowing him to play gunner on punts, even at 177 pounds. They also immediately put him back fielding punts even though he has been a kick returner and not a punt returner. Terell Smith and Wilkinson can also be of benefit on teams first.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven