Breaking down the Chicago Bears' defensive line
The Bears' off-season signings of unrestricted free agent inside linebackers Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman created more buzz than their addition of five-year veteran defensive lineman Akiem Hicks.
But the 6-foot-5, 336-pound Hicks was dollar-for-dollar the Bears' best UFA bargain of 2016. Hicks signed a two-year deal for $10 million, and he was arguably the team's defensive MVP.
Hicks had a career-best 7 sacks, just a half-sack less than team leader Willie Young, and Hicks played more than twice as many snaps as any other Bears defensive lineman. Hicks was fifth on the Bears with 52 tackles, an excellent number for a 3-4 D-lineman, and his 10 tackles for loss were the most on the team.
Unfortunately for the Bears, their plan to team the massive Hicks with their equally stout nose tackle Eddie Goldman, never really materialized.
Goldman's excellent rookie season in 2015 provided optimism that he could be the centerpiece of the defense going forward. But the 6-foot-4, 320-pound Goldman suffered a severe high ankle sprain in Week Two and was rarely 100 percent after that.
The second-round pick out of Florida State played in just six games, and he was able to finish just four.
“It doesn't even seem like it was six games because in some of those games he didn't play much because he was hobbled,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “But when he was healthy, Eddie was a good football player and would be a good player for any team in this league. So we're hopeful to get him back healthy and playing a full season.”
The Bears got the usual blue-collar effort from reliable six-year veteran journeyman Mitch Unrein; and four-year veteran Cornelius Washington, whose rookie contract is up in March, turned in the most productive season of his unspectacular career as a valuable component of the D-line rotation.
Seven-year veteran C.J. Wilson, a stopgap fill-in in the second half of the season, is also an unrestricted free agent come March.
Jonathan Bullard, the 2016 third-round draft pick from Florida, flashed early but seemed to hit the rookie wall later in the season. He was a healthy scratch in Week 13.
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound Bullard had a reputation as a disruptive run-stopper with the Gators but also possesses enough first-step quickness to help the pass rush. Fangio believes a strong off-season in the weight room will benefit Bullard and said he responded positively to his one-game demotion.
“He's got a lot of room for growth,” Fangio said, diplomatically. “He responded well to that (benching), he (was) active the last few weeks, and he got some more playing time.
“(But) he's got to get stronger. He's got to learn to play in the NFL trenches a little bit more and better. His future can still be bright, but his off-season is going to be critical for him.”
A stronger Bullard would be a welcome addition to a D-line that already includes Hicks and Goldman as a formidable foundation.