The Chicago Bears roster may appear set in stone at the top, but there are plenty of spots still up for grabs along the bottom third of the depth chart. Including several primary backup spots on defense. With Chuck Pagano in charge now, it’s important to stop looking at the depth chart through the eyes of Vic Fangio. Both men may run a 3-4 defense, but their styles are considerably different. This may play a huge part in deciding several position battles.
One that Matt Nagy pinpointed as being under heavy observation is inside linebacker. Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan are the obvious starters. The questions are who the two guys will be to back them up. First assumptions are veteran Nick Kwiatkoski and former 4th round pick Joel Iyiegbuniwe are the most likely choices. However, there is a growing belief it’s not that concrete.
Former undrafted free agent Josh Woods has looked really good in training camp and the preseason. It may be difficult for the Bears to justify keeping him off the roster. Especially since neither Kwiatkoski nor Iyiegbuniwe have stood out much. Then again, Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly indicated Woods isn’t the only threat they have to worry about.
Entering training camp it was hard to imagine either of these players not making the team. But with the inside ‘backers being one of the first groups Nagy mentioned – although he did later qualify his answer by saying every position is close — the extremely strong summer and camp Josh Woods has had and the veteran experience and excellent special teams credentials added by Kevin Pierre-Louis, I’m sensing warning lights flashing brightly around “Kwit” and “Iggy.”
Kevin Pierre-Louis brings key value to Chicago Bears roster
Pierre-Louis has been around since 2014. He spent three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, then was with Kansas City in 2017 and moved to the New York Jets in 2018. During that five-year span, he made 20 tackles on special teams. This included three last season despite missing seven games. At age 27 he has become a reliable presence in the third phase and also has experience filling in as a reserve on defense when needed.
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Given the struggles the Bears coverage unit have had since last year, it would make sense they’d try to prioritize reserves who have credibility in that area. Iyiegbuniwe had six tackles last year as a rookie. That will weight heavily in his favor. So it may come down to whether the team feels they’d trust Kwiatkoski, Woods, or Pierre-Louis more on kickoffs and punts. If nothing else, the latter has a decisive advantage in terms of experience.
