What’s the old Chinese proverb? A crisis means two things: danger and opportunity. There is no question that the Chicago Bears’ defense is in a crisis. Their cornerback situation looks pretty bad after last week. Jaylon Johnson is a shell of himself. Tyrique Stevenson hasn’t been healthy in weeks. Opponents are taking advantage of them for big plays. Now matters have gotten even worse as the defensive line took multiple hits this past week. Montez Sweat was slapped with a two-game suspension for a PED violation, while Dayo Odeyingbo landed on Injured Reserve with a quad injury.
This has put the defensive line in a tough spot. Aside from Austin Booker and Grady Jarrett, they don’t have any credible pass-rush presence. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has no choice but to shuffle the deck and see if someone on the depth chart can step up. Here is where opportunity comes in. It’s been easy to forget that the Bears saw a few of their young guys play really well in the preseason two months ago. One was third-year defensive end Jamree Kromah, and the other was 6th-round defensive tackle Jordan Van Den Berg.
Both have hardly played this year. That is about to change.
The Chicago Bears are ready to test their development ability.
Kromah was consistently productive in August, collecting 10 pressures and 3 sacks across his three appearances. Van Den Berg has 7 pressures. Neither has gotten much action since, though. Van Den Berg only has 28 pass rush snaps total in 5 games. Kromah hasn’t even suited up. It is likely Allen doesn’t trust them enough to handle heavier workloads. Van Den Berg had technical issues that were pretty apparent despite his explosiveness. Kromah was held out because of Daniel Hardy and James Lynch. Hardy is a special teams ace while Lynch is a primary run defender.
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Things have changed. The Chicago Bears haven’t added anybody to the roster this week despite the losses of Sweat and Odeyingbo. That is a clear sign they plan to promote some of their backups into the rotation. Kromah and Van Den Berg sit atop that list. Talent has never been the issue with them. Kromah has great size and power to go along with a consistent motor. Van Den Berg is explosive and quick, fighting through blocks with relentless aggression. Yes, they’re untested.
Sometimes, a guy just needs a chance.
So much is on the line in Atlanta.
Right now, everybody predicts the Bears defense to get railroaded by the Falcons. You can understand why. Two of their best pass rushers are out. Their run defense was already inconsistent. Now they have to go against Bijan Robinson and Drake London. The only way this doesn’t end in a disaster is if somebody steps up. It can’t just be Booker and Jarrett. That front has to set the tone. Big contributions from unexpected names often drive road wins. Imagine if Kromah and/or Van Den Berg deliver.
If nothing else, this will give the Bears a clear view of how good or bad their depth situation really is. Atlanta’s offensive line is pretty good, especially along the interior. If they shut down Chicago’s front and those two are invisible? General manager Ryan Poles deserves criticism for not being more proactive in finding help earlier. On the other hand, if one or both of them step up, the Bears have something to build with.
