Bear Digest

New Bears Needs on the Edge

The role of outside rusher changes for the Bears now in a 4-3 and it's part of the reason they could be looking for help there despite the fact Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn under contract.
Gene Chamberlain|
New Bears Needs on the Edge
New Bears Needs on the Edge

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Chicago Bears

It's a time of year when reports of draft prospect visits with teams draw attention, probably too much considering how many every team does.

For instance, at the Senior Bowl last year the Philadelphia Inquirer reported the Eagles had 128 visits with players. That's pretty much both teams' rosters. So what's the point of reporting who talks with teams when everyone talks to everyone? It's not a lot different at the combine.

Of course, it is a little different much later when players make visits to various teams. Those usually are actual indicators of draft interest. The pandemic had put this process on hold but it's normally been 30 visits allowed to team facilities.

Sometimes these reports of visits make complete sense and others raise eyebrows. In BearReport's prospects visits list, one of the first names reported of interest for the Bears is one many would consider a surprise. It's Cameron Thomas, a San Diego State defensive end.

The position is not thought a high priority for the Bears this year because the top three edger rushers the Bears had last year have played end in a 4-3. So they should be able to convert to coach Matt Eberflus' 4-3 end spot with ease.

It still makes sense for the Bears to look at defensive ends at the combine and later even though Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn possess versatile and 4-3 experience, and Trevis Gipson played college ball with his hand down before being taught in Chicago how to stand up on the edge.

Here's why they could have interest:

1. Wear and Tear

Khalil Mack turns 31 this week and Quinn will be 32 before the season begins. They're not done yet, but the years take something from a player. Mack has had injuries of varying degrees every season in Chicago. The first year it was merely an ankle injury that took two weeks from him and also required him to play injured for a few games. In 2019 and 2020 he had problems but played through them without missing time. Three different coaches referred to the 2019 injury but wouldn't specifiy what it was. In 2020, he was on the injury report at times with knee, back, shoulder and ankle issues but fought through them. Last year the foot injury ended his season after seven games, but in reality he had only a few weeks when he was 100% healthy. Quinn made up the difference last year with his phenomenal team-record 18 1/2 sacks but had his own vague injury issues the previous season when he had two sacks. It doesn't hurt to have extra talent beyond three players at the position when two superstars are in their 30s because players in that age range get injured more often.

2. New Responsibility

Run support by the defensive end in a 4-3 is required, not merely an asset. They need different types of ends who are good at different techniques. They won't have two-gap defensive ends and nose tackles eating up blocks, allowing linebackers inside to make tackles or the edges to crash off the back side without much interference. They'll face blocking on each run and need to protect their gaps. There is no greater crime in the single-gap attacking front now being used by the Bears than being out of your gap. That's when--as Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher and Hunter Hillenmeyer used to remind all of the time--you get "gashed." How much different is the responsibility? When Mack played 4-3 end for the Raiders, he had to get involved making more than 70 tackles each year. After coming to the 3-4 defense in Chicago, Mack didn't make more than 50 tackles in any season. Sure, it was a better defense in Chicago and he had to play a 6% to 8% fewer snaps -- the 2018 defense led the league after all -- but that doesn't account for the huge tackling differential. It's a sure sign run responsibilities will increase. In Quinn's case, the 49 tackles he made last year were the most he's had since 2013. For the previous seven seasons, he averaged 28.7 tackles a year. Quinn has had only two seasons when he received above-average Pro Football Focus grades as a run stopper and was in his early-to-mid 20s then. As good as he was rushing the passer last year, he had only a 52.0 grade as a run-stopper, which is sub-standard. Asking him to be a run defender now at this stage of his career isn't doing him or yourself any favors.

3. Cap and Value

Ryan Poles could take a long look at $30.1 million cap figure for Mack and $17.1 million for Quinn and decide spending over 22% of their cap space on one position doesn't make much sense. In fact, he will decide this. No one competent in the NFL would decide otherwise, and it's part of the reason Ryan Pace is gone. Whether it's this year or in the future, this must change. In the 4-3 defense, good outside rushers are required but at least as necessary are a top three technique at defensive tackle, an excellent weakside linebacker and a solid nickel cornebrack. The Bears don't have two of those three players. They also have very little expenditure currently at receiver and tight end for next year. They're even underspending on the offensive line, which is a good way to put your valued rookie quarterback in the hospital. Someone needs to re-arrange their spending priorities at Halas Hall.

4. Rush Men

Former Bears line coach Rod Marinelli always referred to his guys up front in this same scheme as "rush men." He didn't talk about positions, just rush men. They rested the rush men as much as possible by alternating players, always trying to keep them fresh for game's end. You need at least seven of them if not eight. So it never hurts adding another one at end or the three technique.

5. Dual Roles

The sizes of players at 4-3 defensive end and tackle are closer than the sizes are of players on the edge and interior in a 3-4. One man's 4-3 end can sometimes be a three technique for pass-rush situations and go inside. Justin Smith at 285 pounds used to play end for the 49ers or defensive tackle in the four-man nickel pass rush. Players in the 275-280-pound range are no longer undersized for a Bears defensive front and they could look at some of these players for dual role of defensive tackle in a pass rush or end in a 4-3 line.

Without a first-round pick for this position and with other possible priority positions, here are some players the Bears could look at during the combine at this spot

NFL DRAFT BIBLE'S POSITION RANKINGS

LOGAN HALL, HOUSTON

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At 6-foot-6, 275 pounds he has the upper body strength and length to be a 4-3 end according to NFL Draft Bible. They rank him sixth among all 4-3 ends in this draft, which would put him in the second or third round. Excellent hand usage lets him beat blockers even though he generally lacks the speed of a great edge rusher. Hall turned it on as a senior with 13 tackles for loss and six sacks, after he had only one sack and 6 1/2 tackles for loss his first three years.

KINGSLEY ENAGBARE, S. CAROLINA

NFL Draft Bible's seventh-ranked end for a 4-3, he has explosiveness, quickness and technique an edge rusher needs but at 6-3 1/2, 261 pounds he might need to improve as a run defender. Despite those concerns by NFLDB, he made 24 tackles for loss and 72 tackles overall besides making 15 sacks for the Gamecocks. He had hip surgery after the 2019 season and the rehab seemed to recommit him to excelling.

ISAIAH THOMAS, OKLAHOMA

He has the versatility at 6-4, 258, to play different positions but is at his best as a pass-rushing defensive end. He's considered average athletically by NFL Draft Bible but exhibits all the technique and effectiveness of top outside pass rushers. His skills became evident especially when he started getting more playing time as a junior and senior. He played in 31 games but 22 came during his final two years and he had 22 1/2 of his 24 1/2 tackles for loss then and 14 1/2 of his 16 1/2 sacks. NFLDB ranks him eighth among 4-3 ends, but he comes with a red flag attached. NFLDB reports he was once charged with petty larceny in Norman, Oklahoma and failed to appear in court, and also was charged in Ohio with a DWI.

MYJAI SANDERS, CINCINNATI

Rated seventh among defensive ends on Mel Kiper's big board and ninth for 4-3 ends by NFL Draft Bible, his size at 6-5, 258 makes him versatile enough to play in both 3-4 or 4-3 but he has shown NFLDB he might lack the quickness first step to be a standout edge rusher. They also suggest he needs more weight to put his hand in the dirt to play down for 4-3 end, but that his technique is strong enough it could let him avoid a "tweener" tag. Of particular note to scouts were his powerful hands. He made 13 1/2 career sacks and 24 1/2 tackles for loss, but in a full 14 game senior season he had only 2 1/2 of his sacks and 7 1/2 tackles for loss.

SAM WILLIAMS, OLE' MISS

A spectacular 2021 season vaulted this 6-4, 265-pound defender into prominence. He made 12 1/2 sckas and 15 tackles for loss that season, finishing with 22 1/2 sacks and 32 1/2 TFLs total. NFL Draft Bible suggests he's good enough to be a contributor in a rotation at end as a rookie and a future starter. He wins more through upper body, hand and arm strength than pure speed. Mel Kiper ranks him eighth overall among defensive ends and NFLDB has him 10th among 4-3 ends but there is a possible red flag. NFLDB reports he had an arrest in summer, 2020 for sexual battery and was suspended from the team, but then was allowed back for the 2020 season after all charges were dropped.

CAMERON THOMAS, SAN DIEGO STATE

The player BearReport says talked already with the Bears is ranked fifth on Kiper's defensive end board and 11th on the 4-3 end board for NFLDB. At 6-5, 270, he has an ideal size for playing both the run and pass in a 4-3 and exhibited this with 155 career tackles in three years, including 39 for loss. He had 20 1/2 TFLs in his final season. As a pass rusher, he had 20 sacks, 10 1/2 in his final year. The Mountain West defensive player of the year, his size is said to be sufficient that some teams might think of him as a possible three technique or 4-3 end, like Justin Smith was for the Niners. His hand usage is said by NFLDB to be superior and a reason he can defend both the run and pass well despite not timing up snaps very well.

ALEX WRIGHT, UAB

A player with great potential as a 4-3 end because of his physique, but now he needs to prove it. He is 6-7, 270, and should be ideally gifted for swatting down passes, although NFL Draft Bible believes the 6-7 is an exaggeration. Despite being tall, he is viewed as strong setting the edge against the run and has a high motor to track down quarterbacks or ball carriers as plays extend. He's judged as more of a 4-3 than 3-4 edge by NFLDB partly because of a lack of lateral speed. Ranked 12th by NFLDB among 4-3 ends, he made 91 tackles in three years including 19 for loss. He also had 11 1/2 sacks, six coming last season.

DOMINIQUE ROBINSON, MIAMI (Ohio)

Rated 13th among defensive ends by NFL Draft Bible, he made 37 career tackles and didn't become a full-time starter until his senior year. In 2021 he made 4 1/2 of his career 6 1/2 sacks and 8 1/2 of his 11 tackles for loss. Built more like an outside linebacker for a 3-4 at 6-4, 252, it's easy to see why some teams think of him as a linebacker. He started out as a wide receiver and actually took snaps there well into his first two years of college. He didn't transition completely until just before 2020. Natural skills are evident but he has much to learn because of inexperience at end.

Zach VanValkenburg, Iowa

His career started at a much lower level, Hillsdale Colege, but he made the leap well enough that NFL Draft Bible considers him a potential late-round steal to undrafted free agent. In his final three seasons at Iowa, he had 94 tackles including 23 1/2 for loss, and made nine sacks total. A senior year with 15 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks elevated him in NFLDB's eyes. The eye-catching aspect of his play according to NFLDB is a non-stop motor and extra effort. His fundamentals and relentless play make him a scout's favorite, and it all comes from exemplary practice habits. NFLDB ranks him 15th overall among ends.

TYREE JOHNSON, TEXAS A&M

Possibly too small to be a 4-3 end at 6-4, 240, he is gifted when it comes to rushing the passer. NFL Draft Bible still lists him with ends because of his skills tackling and mainly because he showed no ability to drop into coverage when asked. He had 100 career tackles, including 23 1/2 for loss. It wasn't until 2021 when his pass rushing ability became apparent, as he made 8 1/2 of his 18 career sacks then. He's 16th on NFLDB's board for 4-3 ends.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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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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