2024 Chicago Bears Season Preview: Defense and Special Teams

By Kevin Schroeder
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Updated: September 7, 2024

If only there were two of you… [Photo: Getty Images]

Defensive Line

They are:

EDGE #98 Montez Sweat, 6th year, Mississippi State

EDGE #95 DeMarcus Walker, 8th year, Florida State

EDGE #52 Darrell Taylor, 4th year, Tennessee

EDGE #94 Austin Booker, Rookie, Kansas

EDGE #90 Dominique Robinson, 3rd year, Miami (OH)

EDGE #92 Daniel Hardy, 2nd year, Montana State

DI #97 Andrew Billings, 8th year, Baylor

DI #99 Gervon Dexter, 2nd year, Florida

DI #91 Chris Williams, 3rd year, Wagner

DI #96 Zacch Pickens, 2nd year, South Carolina

Each of his first two years as GM, Ryan Poles has traded a 2nd-round pick to try to fill a glaring hole during the season. In 2022, it was Chase Claypool. That went poorly. But last year, he picked up Montez Sweat from Washington and it made a major impact on the defense. Matt Eberflus talks about the multiplier effect, where one player makes everyone around him better, and that’s exactly what Montez Sweat did. With increased ability to rush the passer, the rest of the defense was able to shine.

Unfortunately, the spot opposite Sweat remains unsettled. DeMarcus Walker should see significant snaps as he’s the most stout of the bunch against the run and could move inside on passing downs. Darrell Taylor was acquired from Seattle to bolster the group. He’s a solid pass rusher, but nothing special against the run. Rookie Austin Booker showed real upside during the preseason; we’ll see what he can do when the games count. Dominique Robinson remains here, mostly because Poles doesn’t want to admit he missed on that particular draft pick.

The signing of Andrew Billings was a little bit of an afterthought going into last season, but once the games started, we saw what a valuable pickup he was. Billings remains here and will continue to occupy the nose (1T) spot in Matt Eberflus’ defense. 3T is another unsettled spot. DeMarcus Walker could play there on passing downs, but the majority of the snaps will be split between second-year player Gervon Dexter and offseason acquisition Chris Williams. Williams comes over from Cleveland, though he never saw actual game action for the Browns. Nor did he for the Chiefs in his previous stop. In both cases, he was only on the practice squad. Prior to that, he played for the Colts, where he was coached by Matt Eberflus. He amassed a total of 6 tackles in the 13 games where he saw the field as a Colt. Chatter from Browns fans on Twitter was that he could play, so maybe there’s something there. Dexter started to show some flashes as the season went on last year and has the much higher ceiling, so I’d like to see him get more of the snaps. Also showing flashes last year was Zacch Pickens, who looks ticketed for depth at nose. He didn’t have the greatest preseason, but he’s young, so some hope remains.

Feel good about: The D-line against the run. Sweat and Walker are both quality run defenders on the edge and Billings is strong in the middle. We need to see Dexter take the next step, but he should be at least fine.

Worry about: The spots without concrete answers. At EDGE, there are enough guys that you can be reasonably optimistic that one will pan out. Inside, we’re pretty much all in on Dexter.

Confidence level: 5.5

Linebacker

They are:

#49 Tremaine Edmunds, 7th year, Virginia Tech

#53 TJ Edwards, 6th year, Wisconsin

#57 Jack Sanborn, 3rd year, Wisconsin

#44 Noah Sewell, 2nd year, Oregon

#45 Amen Ogbongbemiga, 4th year, Oklahoma State

Going into last season, the Bears overhauled their linebacker room, adding Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards in free agency. They would become one of the best linebacker duos in the league. Old Ryan once brought in Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman together and that went well, for a year anyway, until Freeman tore a pec and then got popped for PEDs a second time. Still, I guess the lesson here is buy your linebackers in bulk. Edmunds, the starting MIKE, came over from Buffalo, where he had at least 100 tackles every year of his career. That streak continued last year in Chicago, with the former Hokie adding four picks as well. Edwards, from nearby Lake Villa, came over from Philadelphia, where he had really taken off in his last two seasons as an Eagle, racking up 130 tackles in 2021 and 159 in 2022. Last year, he was good for 155 and had 3 picks of his own.

Jack Sanborn returns for his third year as a Bear. Like Edwards, he’s a local boy (Lake Zurich) who went to Wisconsin and has a nose for the football. Sanborn is the sort of guy who could have been an All-Pro if he played 20 years ago, but just doesn’t have the athleticism or coverage ability to be that guy in today’s game where there’s speed all over the field and offenses are being run to utilize that. Sanborn is a good fit as a SAM in heavy sets and while he can hold his own as a starter if need be, the drop-off from either Edmunds or Edwards to him does somewhat lower the defense’s ceiling. Noah Sewell didn’t see many snaps a year ago, but your author remains bullish on him. He’s got Sanborn’s size and nose for the ball with more athleticism. Amen Ogbongbemiga, hereafter referred to as “Amen” for obvious reasons, had a nice showing in the preseason, but figures to be mostly a special teamer.

Feel good about: Arguably the best LB duo in the league.

Worry about: Depth. Sanborn is a fine player overall, but a liability in coverage. Eberflus’ defense is at its best when they can get pressure with four and play coverage everywhere else. The whole “pressure with four” thing still needs to be sorted out a bit, so going from one of the starters to Sanborn or Sewell hurts.

Confidence level: 9.5

Defensive Back

They are:

CB #1 Jaylon Johnson, 5th year, Utah

CB #29 Tyrique Stevenson, 2nd year, Miami

CB #6 Kyler Gordon, 3rd year, Washington

CB #32 Terell Smith, 2nd year, Minnesota

CB #39 Josh Blackwell, 3rd year, Duke

CB #21 Jaylon Jones, 3rd year, Mississippi

S #31 Kevin Byard, 9th year, Middle Tennessee State

S #9 Jaquan Brisker, 3rd year, Penn State

S #22 Elijah Hicks, 3rd year, California

S #36 Jonathan Owens, 6th year, Missouri Western

Corner may be second only to wide receiver for depth on the 2024 Chicago Bears. Jaylon Johnson has quietly become one of the best corners in the league, Tyrique Stevenson had a solid rookie campaign that he’ll look to build on, and Kyler Gordon looks to be a menace in the slot. Bears fans know what to expect from Jaylon Johnson at this point, even if he doesn’t get his flowers nationally. The Utah product has become one of the top cover corners in the league. Tyrique Stevenson took too many penalties as a rookie, but also showed the flashes of brilliance that inspired Ryan Poles to take him in the 2nd round in the 2023 draft. Stevenson had a very strong camp; the arrow is pointing straight up for him. Kyler Gordon looked excellent in the preseason. A 2nd-round pick in 2022, he’s made the slot his home. He can cover but is also a strong run defender, unafraid to lay the wood. And, as we saw in preseason play, he’s a problem when he comes on the blitz.

The group is also well-equipped to survive an injury; Terell Smith and Josh Blackwell have both shown flashes. While there would be some drop-off, it’s unlikely to be disastrous, an important factor, as Eberflus’ defense relies on strong pass coverage.

At safety, veteran Kevin Byard comes over from Philadelphia to replace Eddie Jackson. Prior to spending just over half the 2023 season as an Eagle, Byard was a Titan, going all the way back to 2016. In Tennessee, Byard made a pair of Pro Bowls, was named 1st Team All-Pro twice, and led the NFL in interceptions in 2017. At 31, Byard is not the long-term solution here, but does still have something left in the tank.

Opposite Byard is Jaquan Brisker. A big safety and punishing hitter, the former Nittany Lion has had some injury troubles during his young career. Elijah Hicks has shown himself to be capable if needed and Jonathan Owens comes over from Green Bay as a free agent to provide additional depth.

Feel good about: The CB room. It’s got both talent at the top and serious depth.

Worry about: Safety health. Byard is 31 and Brisker has had trouble staying healthy. Hicks should be fine if called upon. I’m less bullish on Owens.

Confidence level: 9

Special Teams

They are:

K #8 Cairo Santos, 11th year, Tulane

P #19 Tory Taylor, Rookie, Iowa

LS #48 Patrick Scales, 9th year, Utah State

Cairo Santos returns for the fifth year of his second stint in Chicago. The Brazilian’s presence brought stability to the position after one particular bozo left to pursue a career in daytime TV and then-coach Matt Nagy brought in just about anybody in the tri-state area with two functioning legs in an effort to find someone who can kick the ball through the uprights, or at least not cry on the Today show when he doesn’t. Santos ended up seizing the job in 2020 and has been great since doing so. With the exception of 2021, Santos has made 90 percent of his field goals every year he’s been here, and he would’ve hit the mark that year, too, if Matt Nagy didn’t think trying a 67-yarder at the gun against Pittsburgh was a good idea.

Tory Taylor joins the team as a fourth-round pick out of Iowa, where a year ago, he was their best offensive player. Normally, this space is just “is punter,” but Taylor is a pretty exceptional punter. Iowa fans love a good punter, and they really loved Taylor. He figures to be a weapon to flip field position when called upon.

Patrick Scales returns as the long snapper. If you don’t hear his name beyond this point, he did his job.

Feel good about: Aussie punter who was beloved at Iowa.

Worry about: Him asking for a trade due to being really bored if Caleb Williams’ prediction comes true.

Confidence level: 10

Whatever Elmo’s calling it now, Bluesky, Threads: @312sportsguy

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