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Much has been made about the Chicago Bears’ two Day 2 rookie additions — Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens — in the conversation about their improved defensive line, but one of their more under-the-radar signings in NFL free agency this year is turning heads in the first weeks of 2023 training camp.
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler recently emptied his notebook from his August 6 visit to the Bears’ training camp, and while he wrote quite a bit about the improvement of quarterback Justin Fields or the arrival of new No. 1 wide receiver D.J. Moore, he also made a side note about veteran Andrew Billings’ presence in the defensive tackle room.
“The Bears like their defensive line depth more than they did a year ago,” Fowler wrote in his August 7 camp roundup for ESPN. “Andrew Billings has been a pleasant surprise. Justin Jones calls the group “night and day to what it was [in 2022].”
The Bears signed Billings to a one-year, $3.5 million contract in the first several days of NFL free agency in the spring, adding a 28-year-old run-stuffer to the interior of their defensive line who was coming off a solid season for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. His signing came without fanfare, though, as higher-profile additions — such as Tremaine Edmunds, Nate Davis and Moore — stole the spotlight ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.
Billings’ addition became more of an afterthought after the Bears used one of their second-round picks (No. 53 overall) and the first pick of the third round (No. 64) on acquiring Dexter and Pickens, respectively. Nevertheless, Billings has started 51 games as an interior tackle over his six-year career and could carve out an essential role as the Bears’ one-technique or nose tackle for the upcoming 2023 season.
Andrew Billings Was Solid Run-Stopper for Raiders
Billings will likely not be as much of a game-changing addition for the interior of the Bears’ defensive line as someone like Javon Hargrave or Dre’Mont Jones would have been, but there is no denying that Chicago added a certified run-stuffer to their unit.
According to Pro Football Focus, Billings was the 13th-highest-graded (72.3) interior defensive lineman against the run in 2022 among those who played at least 200 snaps of run defense and recorded a total of 21 defensive stops (23rd most) as a run defender, which was better than Jones, Quinnen Williams and Leonard Williams, among others. He also finished the season with a career-high 39 tackles along with three tackles for loss, one sack and 10 pressures over his 14 appearances for the Raiders.
Even if Billings functions in more of a rotational/depth role for the Bears in 2023, his experience against the run should be valuable in their pursuit of frontline improvement. Chicago gave up 157.3 rushing yards per game in 2022, finishing second-worst behind the Houston Texans (170.2). They could use all the “pleasant” surprises they can get in their trenches for the upcoming campaign.
Will Gervon Dexter Sr. Earn Day 1 Starting Job?
The Bears are going to have two veteran options to start in their base 4-3 defense when they begin the season against the Green Bay Packers on September 10, but it is possible that Dexter could bump one of them from the starting lineup in the weeks to come.
Dexter has been one of the Bears’ more impressive standouts in the first few weeks of camp, putting his athleticism on display in practice and using his rare blend of speed, size and strength to crush the opposition in numerous 1-on-1 drills. Teammates are also starting to recognize something special in the 6-foot-6, 312-pound rookie tackle.
“He’s going to be a force in this league,” Bears defensive tackle Justin Jones told reporters after Sunday’s practice on August 6. “I really do believe that. I haven’t seen anything like him in a very long time.”
Will Dexter be ready to start on Day 1, though? That entirely depends on how much progress he can make in the areas where the Bears want him to improve.
One of the knocks against Dexter’s college tape at Florida was how slow he could be at times getting off the snap. Multiple Bears reporters have noticed the same problem in some of the team’s open-to-media practices, even asking head coach Matt Eberflus about that deficiency in the rookie’s game when talking to him after Sunday’s practice.
“It’s improving every day,” Eberflus said of Dexter’s get-off. “But if he wants to be elite, he’s gonna have to be more consistent. He’s also gonna have to play with better pad level. He’s strong enough to win sometimes be he’s high, but he needs to be lower.”
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