Bears Veteran’s Return Now a ‘Legitimate Question,’ Per Insider

Getty Eddie Goldman #91 of the Chicago Bears warms up prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field on December 4, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.

The Chicago Bears have been looking forward to getting back veteran defensive tackle Eddie Goldman after he opted out of the 2020 season, but now it seems his status is once again in question with training camp less than a month away.

In a recent column for The Chicago Tribune, Bears insider Brad Biggs revealed that a league source had suggested to him that Goldman “could be weighing retirement” ahead of the 2021 season despite head coach Matt Nagy previously expressing confidence that the 27-year-old nose tackle would be in attendance for camp later in July.

Goldman has not stepped foot on the field for the Bears since Week 16 of the 2019 season when he was knocked out of their Dec. 22 loss to Kansas City with a concussion. He was also one of the more high-profile names to opt-out in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the expectation has been that he would return to Chicago for 2021 with three more years left on his contract.

Could Goldman leave the Bears hanging, though, after nearly 19 months away?

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Bears D-Line Struggled Without Goldman

The Bears lost a significant piece of their run defense when Goldman was subtracted from the picture in 2020, something that was abundantly clear from the first game of the season when Adrian Peterson rushed 14 times for 93 yards for the Detroit Lions.

Without Goldman, the Bears fell to the No. 15 run defense in 2020 after finishing the previous season at No. 9. Additional pressure was also placed on the shoulders of defensive ends Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols, and while it was refreshing to see others step up in Goldman’s absence, things were undeniably worse without him clogging up in the middle.

Now, the Bears did sign veteran Mike Pennel to boost depth at nose tackle. They also re-signed Mario Edwards Jr. to a three-year extension and drafted rookie Khyiris Tonga in the seventh round, stacking all the chips necessary to have the unit take a step forward in 2021 if Goldman is back in the lineup. If he does choose to retire, however, expect Chicago to spend much of camp figuring out what comes next for their frontline defenders.

Nagy & Trevathan Expect Goldman Back

Seeing Goldman retire would be a bit of a shock given he is 27 and would seem to still have a good amount of football ahead of him. He hasn’t struggled much with injuries throughout his career and has seasons left on his current deal. There’s also the fact that numerous Bears have made it clear they are counting on Goldman to be there when camp starts on July 27.

“I don’t think it’s in doubt,” Nagy said in mid-June of Goldman’s status. “I really feel confident that he is going to be here. Obviously when someone is not in minicamp that’s probably what a lot of people will think and start wondering what the deal is, and that’s natural and OK and normal. But we fully expect him to be there.”

Goldman’s teammates are also expecting to see him at Halas Hall at the end of the month. Bears inside linebacker Danny Trevathan told reporters in June that he’s kept in touch with Goldman and promised that “he’s gonna come here ready to work” when camp finally arrives.

“It’s going to be great to have him this year,” Trevathan said. “I know he’s gonna be here. He’s been working his tail off. He looks totally different. I’ve been communicating with him as much as possible — he’s a tough guy to get in contact with — but he loves us. He loves the Bears organization. He loves the defense. So he’s gonna come here ready to work.”