For all the talk that’s been going on this offseason regarding the Chicago Bears’ defensive line, Dennis Allen doesn’t believe it’s a weak spot.
In fact, he’s saying the D-line is the “deepest” position group they have, even after trading away Gervon Dexter Sr. to the Atlanta Falcons.
“Yeah, I feel really confident with who we have on the defensive line,” Allen said in a press conference on September 2nd. “I think we got guys that can do the things that we want to do and I felt like all along that was probably our deepest position group. I felt like we had a lot of guys that are NFL-caliber football players.”
And the player that Allen mentions that’s been the most productive up front will surprise many fans — defensive tackle Kentavius Street, who the Bears signed from the Falcons this offseason.
Chicago Bears New Signing Kentavius Street Garners Unexpected Praise
Dennis Allen specifically mentions Kentavius Street as the most productive tackle the team had this offseason, saying, “Quite honestly, I think he was the most productive tackle we had throughout the course of training camp. He’s got the suddenness and the explosiveness off the ball that we’re looking for to create penetration and disrupt the line of scrimmage. He’s really taken to the things that (defensive line coach) Jeremy (Garrett), (senior defensive assistant) Bill (Johnson), (defensive quality control) Zach (Cable), all those guys are coaching and how we want to play that position.”
Street, 30, comes over from the Falcons with a plethora of experience, racking up 125 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 85 career games.
At 6’2″ and 315 pounds, Street fits the smaller defensive tackle build that Allen prefers in his scheme, and despite not making noise when the Bears initially signed him, it seems like Street will be a bigger part of the defense than many people expected.
He’ll be in a rotation with the other four DTs, which include veterans Grady Jarrett/Neville Gallimore and rookies Jordan van den Berg/Jayden Loving.
Dennis Allen Comments on How Better Coaching Will Yield Better Results
Back in late April, many fans did not like hearing general manager Ryan Poles say that the solution to the Bears’ defensive line issues is to build a good secondary.
“Obviously the D-line helps the back end more often than not. But in this situation where we have good corners, good safeties, we can be in a position where maybe we can have the quarterback hold the ball a little longer.”
Now, as the season is just a little over a week away, Dennis Allen made some comments on why he believes better coaching will yield better results:
“Typically to affect the quarterback with a rush, unless you’re Myles Garrett or Von Miller back in the day, it’s really right at about 3.1 seconds…Prior to that, you’ve got to affect the quarterback with your coverage, meaning you’ve got to get him to have to go to his second or third read. And so, if the ball’s getting out in 2.5 seconds, statistically you’re not going to see a lot of sacks, a lot of hurries, a lot of hits. Sacks, hurries and hits need to come when the quarterback has to reset, and that typically is going to be 3 to 3.2 seconds. I felt like when the quarterback had to go to a second or third read, I felt like more consistently we were able to affect him.”
Can the Bears truly be confident in the defensive line? Because the secondary is banged up, with Coby Bryant expected to miss multiple months, and Kyler Gordon placed on IR, which knocks him out for the first four games of the season.
If ‘improved coaching’ isn’t the solution, the Bears may have to look to trade for someone. But who knows, maybe someone like Kentavius Street will end up having a bigger impact than most people expect.
Bears 6’2″, 315-lb Signing Garners Unexpected Praise Before Season