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Chicago Bears' Goldman slims down for speed

Nose tackle Eddie Goldman isn't all the man he was last year when, as a rookie, he led all Chicago Bears linemen with 39 tackles and 4½ sacks.

But in this case less is more. The 2015 second-round pick out of Florida State has slimmed down from last year when he played at 340 pounds and established himself as the kind of player the Bears could build their defense around for years to come.

Coaches have told Goldman that 325 is his ideal weight, and he's close to that as the Bears near the conclusion of their off-season program, which concludes with next week's full-team, mandatory minicamp.

Goldman says losing the weight wasn't a big problem.

"Pretty simple, really," he said. "Just work on my eating habits. I had more 'cheat' days in my diet (in the past). I would go to Buffalo Wild Wings more often."

The 6-foot-4 Goldman already has noticed the benefits of carrying less weight.

"I'm moving faster," he said. "My foot quickness (is better), and it helps with your stamina, too."

With 15 NFL games, including 12 starts, on his resume, Goldman is still just 22, younger than many rookies. But he's already a fixture at a position critical to the success of most 3-4 defenses, which is the Bears' base alignment.

This year he's enjoying a comfort level that comes with the experience of knowing what to expect, as opposed to a rookie season that can be a blur to even the best players as they transition to a new level of competition.

"You know the system and know your teammates," Goldman said of Year 2. "So it's pretty easy."

Goldman is looking forward to the presence of another big body this year. Six-foot-5, 324-pound, fifth-year veteran Akiem Hicks will be lining up next to him, which the Bears expect to more than offset the loss in free agency of Jarvis Jenkins, who played more defensive snaps (634) than any Bears lineman. Goldman was second with 516.

Brute strength remains one of Goldman's best assets, and Hicks compares him to a wrecking ball.

If the Bears' defense is to take that next step toward becoming an elite unit, Goldman will have to complement his natural strength with improving other aspects of his game. A year's experience has helped speed up the thought process and made Goldman more instinctive.

"Things come quicker," he said. "In football, everything is right now, so when you can cut that (thinking) out and know things like it's second nature, it saves you a lot of time and makes you more comfortable."

Last year's Bears defense was in the bottom third of the league against the run, so there was more room for improvement in that area. Goldman and Hicks will play integral roles there, but the nose tackle has been encouraged by the pass rush he has seen from the front seven.

"I can't really say what we're going to do, (but) I know what we plan to do," he said. "It's looking like a vicious front, because we have a combination of speed and strength."

Goldman always had the strength, and now he's got a little more speed to go with it.

• Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere.

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