Chicago Bears’ defense very confident of becoming a top-tier unit

After a slow start in 2023, the Chicago Bears’ defense finished strong. The players are confident they can be dominant for the entire 2024 season.

The Chicago Bears might be in a state of flux. After years of struggling to win games, this season could start a new era of consistently winning football. General Manager Ryan Poles has done a great job of rebuilding the team. He turned a roster filled with aging players and bloated contracts into a young, hungry team ready to compete for the playoffs.

Last year, Poles made a concentrated effort to improve the defense. After a slow

start, the unit began to jell and play well. Then, right at the trade deadline, he added defensive end Montez Sweat. That move just solidified the defense and things skyrocketed from there.

While the Chicago Bears ranked just 20th in scoring defense, that was mostly a result of a poor first four weeks. During that time, they averaged a whopping 34.2 points per game.

In the following 13 weeks, however, they were among the top-scoring defenses. They gave up a paltry average of 18.6 points per game. If they had done that from the start of the season they would have ranked sixth in the NFL. Additionally, they ranked fifth in the league in turnovers and led the league in interceptions.

The Chicago Bears defense looks to be more consistent and dominant in 2024

The defense wants to get off to a quick start this season and carry that over throughout the season. They want to play with an edge. That could bring back the Monsters of the Midway we are used to seeing from the Chicago Bears’ defense.

Yes, there are still some questions on the unit. Did Poles do enough to strengthen the defense? There is still a concern at defensive end opposite of Sweat. We saw how

the Green Bay Packers had no respect for whoever was there. They sent everyone they could at him to slow his path to the quarterback. It worked as Sweat was neutralized and no one else stepped up.

Additionally, there is a new man at free safety. The Chicago Bears parted ways with Eddie Jackson. In his place, they signed two-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro Kevin Byard. Jackson suffered through injuries and it was time to part ways. Poles replaced Jackson with another excellent player. The hope is that they get the same production Jackson gave when he was healthy.

Despite that, the Bears’ defensive players are ready to dominate. They saw all the changes on the offensive side of the ball so they want to keep up. For decades, we’ve seen the defense carry the team. Now, however, the offense looks like it can contribute its share. Imagine how good this team can be when both sides of the ball dominate.

Poles also did a good job of improving the special teams so this could be a special team in the making.

Byard might be the new guy on the block but he is not shy about speaking up. He said out loud what everyone was thinking silently.

We’re expecting to be a top defense. Anything less than that is a letdown.

While the changes on offense put the attention there, the defensive players feel that they need to perform well while the offense puts it together. There are a lot of new players and a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron who has a new system to teach. The defense wants to be strong consistently so the struggles are minimal.

As a defense, we’ve go to make sure that we’re being a top defense, every single day just having that consistency. As a team, obviously, as we get later in the year and those guys are rolling, all three phases are rolling together, just being a defense we’ve got to make sure that we’re holding down our end of the bargain no matter what the score is, what the offense is doing.

Washington will be a great help

The defense also has a new coordinator. Last season, Allan Williams had to resign early in the season. The Chicago Bears decided to have head coach Matt Eberflus

take over the defense. This season, while Eberflus will continue to call the plays on defense, the team will have a new coordinator, Eric Washington.

Washington has experience in helping develop good defensive lines. He was a part of the Carolina Panthers defense that helped lead the team to the Super Bowl in 2015. In recent years, he helped coach up a tough Buffalo Bills defensive unit.

Now Washington comes in to help the Chicago Bears. He knows how to bring out the edge in the defense. We’ve seen too many times in the recent past how opponents have bullied Chicago’s defense. Now it is time for the Bears to do some bullying.

It will be fun if the Chicago Bears’ defense dominates once again. If the unit does dominate and the new-look offense dominates as well, this could become a special season.

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