The Chicago Bears finished their 2024 campaign ranked 27th in total defense, allowing 354.3 yards per game. While it’s a long trek to break into the top five, defensive tackle Andrew Billings thinks this year’s Bears squad has what it takes.
Chicago brought in Dennis Allen as their new defense coordinator. He is expected to bring a physical, aggressive brand of defense to the Windy City. In terms of on the field additions, the Bears signed defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo before drafting fellow DT Shemar Turner in the second-round. Plus, there are star returners such as Montez Sweat, TJ Edwards and Jaylon Johnson still on Chicago’s roster.
But, the Bears have plenty of work to do to see a true defensive renaissance. Billings understands that, but also believes Chicago is on a path towards greatness, via the team’s Wednesday press conference.
“The speed at which you’re moving, after the ball is thrown, after the running back breaks the line of scrimmage, we’re all hustling there. That’s huge in being top five. You see the takeaways that we produce. Third down defense, our second down defense, it’s coming together.”
“It comes from [Dennis Allen],” Billings said of the idea of finishing top five in defense, “but we didn’t walk in here not wanting to be top five in everything either. We want to improve from where we were. We had the number one defense in run. We want to keep that going. We want number one in pass, that’s our goal. It’s a goal you strive for every week, just because it’s what helps you win games.”
Chicago Bears preseason defense review
All preseason games must be taken with a grain of salt. Not every team is going to play their starters and coaching staffs don’t want to show off their entire bag of tricks. However, Chicago’s first two preseason matchups will at least give fans a glimpse of what to expect.
In their preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, the Bears allowed 24 points in what ended up being a tie. They outgained their opponents 295-272 while forcing quarterback Quinn Ewers to fumble twice. The Bears recorded an impressive six sacks total, with Austin Booker recording three of them.
Chicago followed up that performance by shutting out the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. They held Buffalo scoreless in a 38-0 victory. The Bills gained just 180 total yards of offense compared to 528 from the Bears. Chicago only came away with two sacks this time, one coming from Billings himself, but they managed to force a fumble and overall kept their opponents locked up all game.
Neither Tua Tagovailoa or Josh Allen played in their respective matchups, which changes things drastically. However, the Bears’ defense has been the highlight of the team all offseason. Once the games start to count, Billings doesn’t expect the team’s tenacity to end anytime soon.
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