The Chicago Bears have hinted all week that they were searching for defensive line help. Yesterday they got their edge rusher, trading a 6th round pick to Seattle for Darrell Taylor. Today, they secured defensive tackle help, flipping a 6th round pick to the Cleveland Browns for veteran Chris Williams and a 7th round pick. The move makes plenty of sense. He’s had a good preseason, producing two sacks and two QB hits in two preseason games. He also spent his rookie season in 2021 under Matt Eberflus, so there is familiarity from the Bears’ side. There is no question he helps them in a tough spot.
Williams was an undrafted free agent out of Wagner in 2020. He didn’t get any buzz due to playing at a struggling program. Still, he brought a 300-lb frame with 34-inch arms and a high motor. That translated into a strong rookie preseason with the Colts, allowing him to crack the main roster. He appeared in eight games, made six tackles, and had one quarterback pressure. A year later, he showed improvement with two pressures in five appearances. Sadly, he didn’t return in 2023, spending the summer with the Kansas City Chiefs before getting released in August.
The Chicago Bears know exactly what Chris Williams brings.
He proved again in Cleveland that he is a high-effort player who doesn’t lower the intensity on any snaps. He’ll give them some help in the pass rush rotation and isn’t an outright liability against the run, either. His familiarity with Eberflus’ defensive system is an added bonus. It won’t take long to get him up to speed. It was clear the Browns, who have a quality defensive staff, were getting big results from the 26-year-old. Defensive coordinator Eric Washington, who has a reputation of his own with defensive tackle, should be able to take it from here. The Chicago Bears still have seven picks in the draft next year. This trade was essentially a pick swap, landing Williams in exchange for moving down from the 6th round to the 7th. If he gives them any production this season, it will have been worth it.
@jack60616 —
Thanks.
I hope they are right.
@TGena
Sorry didn’t clarify… those grades in my previous post were given specifically for the Amegadjie pick… anyways ..well we will both see how that pick will turn out… anyways …good debate…we will continue to debate for sure in the future…
@jack60616 — Remember, the Bears’ 2024 draft included: CW18, Rome, Taylor and Booker — excellent picks! And you might be completely right about Amegadjie — IF: Kiran Amegadjie can even walk again without any noticeable weakness in his leg(s). But. . .This is NOT a typical injury in the NFL. The unanswered question I still have (among many) is when and where precisely did it occur? The two Yale starting guards in that Dartmouth game (Sean Sullivan and Jonathan Mendoza) as well as QB, Nolan Grooms all participated in the 52 snaps, as did Kiran — indicating, either: ▪︎ that… Read more »
@TGena Look you can cherry pick websites to further you point as can I…. these are draft grades for Poles pick … Sporting News…A USA Today .. B The Athletic .. C- NFL..com – A- Sports Illustrated.. C Yahoo sports B+ Sporting News..A CBS sports A- Bleacher report – B SB Nation …B+ 33rd team… B For the Win .. B… And for PFF… the site you love to go to… they gave them a “Very Good”…and ill add on what they say… “The Bears continue to add pieces to their offense, grabbing a versatile offensive lineman at Pick 75.… Read more »
@jack60616 — Again, my complaint is not with Kiran Amegadjie, the Bears’ medical staff, or anyone — other than Ryan Poles for selecting what he knew, at the time, was an “incapacitated” Yale OT, who was unable to test at the NFL Combine and/or compete in any post-season practices and games. The only data listed for Amegadjie’s “RAS-type page” measurements are: height, weight, arm length, hand size, forty time: 5.10 secs. (unofficial) and 21 reps in the bench press at his “Pro Day.” It is true that the Consensus Big Board has OT, Kiran Amegadjie ranked as the #84 player… Read more »