Bears’ Free Agent Spending Hasn’t Turned Around Weak Defense

There were screaming headlines when the Bears signed edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue midway through training camp, and yawns when they defensive tackle Andrew Billings in March, only two days after he had filed for free agency.

Shows how little we know, just as the start of the NFL season has created questions about the decision-making skills of the Bears’ second-year leadership group.

General Manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus busily shuffled personnel in their defense, determined to improve a group that allowed 331 points in their last 10 games — all losses — a year ago. Yet the Bears were badly beaten by Green Bay and Tampa Bay to start he 2023 season, and their rebuilt defense looks just as bad as it has since Poles traded away Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn at the trade deadline.

Much of the focus is on Alan Williams, who resigned his job as defensive coordinator on Wednesday. Eberflus hired him shortly after he was named to replace Matt Nagy as head coach, citing a comfort level from working alongside Williams for four years in Indianapolis. But Williams left the team due to a personal situation last week, and apparently haven’t been resolved.

Through two games, the Bears have been less effective than they were before adding free agents Tremaine Edmunds, DeMarcus Walker, T.J. Edwards and Ngakoue. They are allowing five more points per game than in their 3-13-1 season in 2022, with teams attacking them through the air (27th in passing yards per game, 277).

Justin Fields and his fellow Chicago quarterbacks took 58 sacks while the Bears sacked opposing quarterbacks only 20 times a year ago. That’s no way to run a football team. But the disparity is even bigger to this point in ’23, with Fields taking five sacks a game — a pace that would yield 85 if it continued for a full season — while the Bears sacked Jordan Love only one time in the opener and never dropped Baker Mayfield last Sunday.

The Bears’ current depth chart lists seven newcomers in the starting defensive lineup. Nickel back Kyler Gordon is the only starter missing because of injury.

Among the newcomers, only Billings is off to a strong start. Pro Football Focus grades the 28-year-old as the ninth most effective defensive tackle among 124 qualifiers. There’s nothing spectacular about his stats but his put together strong tape, producing a 90.0 grade on his pass rush.

Billings was quick to take a one-year, $2.75 million deal after starting 14 games for Las Vegas last season. He’s had to work to get a second chance after washing out in Cincinnati. He’s been with five organizations since the Covid-19 shutdown and appears motivated to put down some roots.

Ngakoue, a Pro Bowler in his second pro season, has also been something of a nomad. He’s been with six teams, including five in the last four years, but hoped to turn 9 1/2 sacks last season into a multi-year contract with a contender. When they didn’t bite, he took a one-year, $10.5 million deal with Chicago.

While Ngakoue did sack Love in the opener, he’s had minimal impact while playing 71 percent of defensive snaps (six tackles). PFF
PFF
grades him 102nd of 107 edge rushers.

None of the Bears’ other three free agent additions currently receive PFF grades in the top 50 percent at their position. While Edwards leads the Bears with 26 tackles, the linebacker who received a three-year, $19.5 million contract ranks 51 among 79 qualifiers at his position.

Poles’ biggest investment was used to land Edmunds from Buffalo’s linebacker corps. He is due $18 million a year for four years but currently grades 44th among linebackers, barely ahead of Edwards.

Walker, signed for three years, $21 million, has made three tackles while getting 68 percent of snaps at the defensive end opposite Ngakoue. He is graded out to 82nd at his position, somehow 20 spots ahead of Ngakoue.

Poles and Eberflus are also betting heavily on rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. He got blistered by Mayfield and Mike Evans last Sunday and currently is ranked 86th among 98 cornerbacks by PFF.

Add it all up and the Bears have still got a mess on their hands, not an improved defense.