Getty Former Colts d-lineman Margus Hunt worked out for the Chicago Bears this week.
The Chicago Bears have two primary areas of concern heading into their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on September 12: the offensive line and at cornerback. That hasn’t stopped them from working out more potential additions for their defensive line, however.
The Bears brought defensive linemen Damion Square, Margus Hunt and Josh Mauro in for workouts this week, via Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune. All three are NFL veterans with solid experience, and one has experience playing nose tackle, which is an area where the Bears could also use a little depth behind starter Eddie Goldman and rookie backup Khyiris Tonga.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace said on September 1 that the team would be looking to add players in the extra time afforded to them now that there were only three preseason games instead of four. “There’s a lot of moving parts. Some of it is still ongoing as we speak. What’s good this year, what’s been nice is just having that additional week. That buys us a little more time,” Pace said.
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Damion Square: Stats & Background
Square played his college ball at Alabama, where he won three national championships, but he went undrafted, signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He caught on with the Los Angeles Chargers shortly after that, and he started 24 games for them over the last six seasons, playing in 81.
The 6-foot-2, 295-pound defensive lineman has displayed a versatility on the line the Bears may find intriguing, as he has played both nose tackle and defensive end. In 91 career games, Square has amassed 120 tackles (11 for loss), 6.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and two fumble recoveries.
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Margus Hunt: Stats & Background
Hunt was a second-round pick (53rd overall) for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013. He spent his first four seasons with the Bengals before playing for the Indianapolis Colts for three years. He split time between the Bengals, where he did a brief second stint, and the New Orleans Saints last year.
The hulking 6-foot-8, 295-pound defensive end has also played multiple positions, taking snaps at LDT during his 2019 season with the Colts. Hunt has played in 104 NFL games, starting 26. He has 114 total tackles (26 for loss), 8.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and 24 QB hits over his eight-year career.
Josh Mauro: Stats & Background
Mauro signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an UDFA in 2014, but was released when final roster cuts were made. The Arizona Cardinals picked him up shortly after that, and he never looked back.
Mauro, who is 6’6″ and 290 pounds, spent his first four seasons with the Cards before catching on with the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders for year-long stints. He wound up back with Arizona in 2020, signing with the Cardinals in October. He played in three games last year before landing on the injured reserve list with a hamstring injury.
Mauro has played in 75 games over his career, starting 39. He has accumulated 127 tackles (19 for loss), four sacks, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and 12 QB hits.
Of the three d-linemen worked out by Chicago, Square appears to be the most durable, playing in all 16 games in each of the last four seasons. By contrast, both Mauro (three games in 2020) and Hunt (13 games in 2020) didn’t play as much in recent years.
We’ll see what the Bears do, but with a full 53-man roster and 16-player practice squad, if Chicago adds anyone at all, someone else will have to go.
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