The Chicago Bears defense made huge strides down the stretch of the regular season and another star addition to the interior could be enough to push the unit to elite status.
Courtney Cronin of ESPN on Sunday, January 7, urged the Bears to pursue a top defensive tackle in free agency, which opens in mid-March, naming Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs atop the list of prospects.
“The missing piece that can take the Bears’ defense from good to elite is a disruptive 3-technique defensive tackle,” Cronin wrote. “Chicago is pleased with Gervon Dexter’s development as a rookie, and while that could be a role he ultimately earns more time in, the Bears’ to-do list in free agency should include testing the market on Kansas City’s Chris Jones, Miami’s Christian Wilkins or Baltimore’s Justin Madubuike. The Bears solidified their edge rusher position with Montez Sweat during the season, and now they need to find a disruptive interior pass-rusher to complete the defense.”
Chris Jones Remains Elite Defensive Tackle After 8 NFL Seasons
GettyKansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Jones earned All-Pro honors in 2022, tallying 15.5 sacks and leading the Kansas City defense to the second Super Bowl of his eight-year tenure with the organization.
Jones hasn’t been quite as dominant in 2023, playing in 16 games and tallying 36 pressures, 29 QB hits, 13 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, per Pro Football Reference.
Despite the moderate dip in production, the 29-year-old Jones remains an elite player at the position. Pro Football Focus ranked Jones the 7th-best interior lineman in the NFL this season out of 131 players who saw enough snaps to qualify at the position.
Jones acknowledged in early December that this season could be his last in Kansas City. The DT held out into late summer, missing the first game of the regular season in his push to earn a new deal. The Chiefs ultimately caved, but only to a minor degree, reworking the final year of Jones’ $80 million contract to pay him up to $25 million with incentives.
Hard feelings between Jones and the Chiefs don’t necessarily exist, though the recent developments in contract negotiations between the player and his organization indicate that Jones will at least test the waters of free agency. The Bears are projected to have approximately $62 million in salary cap space in 2024 and need the exact type of skill set Jones can offer.
Bears Need Player Like Chris Jones to Maximize Defensive Scheme Under Head Coach Matt Eberflus
GettyHead coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.
The Bears defense increased its sack production by 50% in 2023, finishing with 30 sacks as a team after tallying only 20 sacks and finishing dead-last in the league in the category the year prior. However, Chicago’s total this season bumped the team just one spot to 31st in the NFL in sack production.
Jones’ skills as a pass-rusher from the interior would further bolster the defense’s efforts to disrupt opposing backfields on passing downs. His ability to function as the Bears’ “engine” also makes Jones a quality fit for a defense on the rise.
Head coach Matt Eberflus in December 2022 described the 3-technique style of defensive tackle and why it is so important to his scheme, per NBC Sports Chicago.
We call it the engine that makes everything go because in the running game, you can’t run at the three and you can’t run away from him, so it’s hard to really dictate where you’re going to run the ball, number one, and it creates a lot of free lanes for your linebackers to run through in the run game.
But in the pass game, a lot of times when you have two of them, you have a three-technique and you have a defensive end opposite of him, it’s hard to move your line that way. He creates a lot of one-on-ones, and he’s typically overmatched on a guard. Typically your best offensive linemen are on the outside and if you have your best player on the inside, that’s certainly an advantage for you.
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Bears Urged to Add All-Pro DT, Defending Super Bowl Champ in Free Agency