Odeyingbo Injury, Sweat Suspension Leaves Bears Depending on Uncertain Cast of Edge Rushers

The Chicago Bears go into their Week 6 game against the Atlanta Falcons with a major problem at edge rusher.

The Bears were blindsided earlier this week when it was revealed that their best edge rusher, Montez Sweat, had been suspended for two games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

“I’m sure you guys all heard about Montez and his suspension," head coach Ben Johnson began. "Obviously, we're disappointed whenever we lose a player of his caliber for multiple games, but really not a whole lot for me to add on to that."

Making matters worse for Chicago's defense, which is coming off one of its worst showings of the season, Dayo Odeyingbo, who is second on the team in sacks and first in pressures, is slated to miss at least one game with his quadriceps injury.

Austin Booker has been hot the last two weeks with three sacks in that span, but opposing offenses can now focus in on him with the uncertain cast of characters the Bears will deploy to try and overcome the losses of Odeyingbo and Sweat.

And, the lack of a consistent pass-rush will only put more pressure on a secondary that is already struggling to cover.

Nothing but question marks

Chicago Bears defensive tackle Shemar Turner. — Chicago Bears defensive tackle Shemar Turner (95) reacts against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears' available edge rushers for this week outside of Booker are James Lynch, Daniel Hardy, Jamree Kromah and Shemar Turner.

Turner is the new addition to the 53-man roster after he was activated off the physically unable to perform list this week following the suspension of Sweat.

It remains to be seen how many snaps Turner will even be able to handle in his first game in a year after recovering from a torn ACL, but even if he can play a full workload, there is zero guarantee he will make an impact.

That's because Turner played just 74 snaps last season and didn't tally even one pressure, according to Pro Football Focus. Adding to that, most of his snaps came inside.

"Yeah, it's definitely an opportunity, a big opportunity that I have right now to go out there and show what I can do," Turner said to reporters. "Especially with guys down right now, they do need me. So it's up to me to go out there and to prove to my coaches and everybody on this staff, right, that I am a guy, and I can go."

The most accomplished edge rusher from the four we mentioned is Lynch, but his past production isn't exactly inspiring. The veteran has just 3.5 sacks in 75 career games.

Then there's Kromah and Hardy, neither of whom have a sack in their respective careers. Kromah, who was a preseason star for Chicago, has never even played a regular season snap in the league.

What has transpired over the past week is a stark reminder of just how quickly things can change in the NFL. The Bears went from a decent situation at edge rusher to a precarious one in mere days.

That's why general manager Ryan Poles needs to explore any and all avenues to add more depth to the position group ahead of the deadline next month.

Add us as a preferred source on Google