The Chicago Bears are entering the crucial stages of evaluating which defensive linemen they should keep on their 53-man roster for the 2025 season, and one recent draft pick — Zacch Pickens — might have his work cut out for him.
Pickens, a 2023 third-round pick, is on the roster bubble heading into the start of 2025 NFL training camp this week after he struggled to make an impact in his first two years. In 492 career defensive snaps, he has logged just 1.5 sacks and two tackles for a loss.
Additionally, the Bears have also completely turned over their defensive coaching staff, which could either open the door for Pickens to win his role or firmly slam it shut.
With Pickens’ roster security in question, Windy City Gridiron’s Jacob Infante recently predicted that the Bears will bid farewell to Pickens before the start of the 2025 season, leaving the 2023 third-rounder off of his pre-training camp 53-man roster projections.
“No Zacch Pickens on the 53-man roster,” Infante wrote Monday, predicting the Bears will keep Chris Williams as their fifth defensive tackle instead. “You won’t find him on my practice squad, either. I think he gets waived and another team claims the 2023 third-round pick off waivers to try and resurrect his career.”
Bears Took Steps to Bolster Defensive Line for 2025
Pickens has a lack of production working against him heading into the new season, but more relevant to his roster pursuit are the upgrades the Bears have acquired for their defensive line during the offseason — upgrades that bring Pickens’ value into question.
In free agency, the Bears signed former Pro Bowl veteran Grady Jarrett to a three-year contract to give themselves another experienced mauler for the interior of their line. They also selected Texas A&M standout Shemar Turner with one of their three second-round draft picks this spring, bolstering the depth behind Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr.
If the Bears had only been replenishing talent lost in free agency, then Pickens might have better odds for making the roster, but they are also welcoming back all of their primary contributors from the 2024 season — including nose tackle Andrew Billings, who is coming off a season-ending pectoral injury that limited him to eight games.
As things stand at the onset of camp, Dexter, Jarrett and Stewart are all essentially locks to make the 53-man roster, while Bilings is a near-lock who should make the cut as long as he demonstrates he can return to form at age 30. That leaves Pickens likely fighting for just one roster spot, and that’s only if the Bears keep five defensive tackles.
Zacch Pickens Still Has Time to Win Bears Roster Spot
While Pickens’ roster chances are decidedly bleaker in 2025, the door is still open for him to make an impression on the Bears’ new coaches and win a role in the rotation.
The next month of training camp will prove critical. Pickens must focus on becoming valuable not only as a defender but also as a special teams contributor if he wants to win a depth role on the Bears’ 53-man roster. It should help him to have a familiar face, Richard Hightower, returning to lead the Bears’ third-phase unit, but it won’t be easy.
During the preseason, Pickens will also likely need to decisively outshine Williams — who returns on a restricted free agent tender — to give himself a chance of keeping his roster spot. While Williams is not necessarily in a more secure place than Pickens, he did both outproduce (three sacks, seven quarterback hits) and outsnap him in 2025.
If Pickens cannot rise to the challenge, though, Infante is likely right about his future.
Bears Predicted to Dump Former 3rd-Round Pick Before Season