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Are the Bears searching for an edge rusher opposite Montez Sweat? Matt Eberflus hints at the idea originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
One of the few gaps left in this season’s stellar Bears roster is an edge rusher opposite of Pro Bowler Montez Sweat on the defensive line. But in the middle of the summer, general manager Ryan Poles expressed his satisfaction with the roster at hand.
“In the front office, it’s our job to look at every option that’s out there to improve our football team,” Poles said in July. “We feel really comfortable with the guys we have on our roster now, and I’m excited, we’re both excited, to see [defensive line coach Travis Smith] and [defensive coordinator Eric Washington] really put their hands on those guys and develop them as we go through the beginning of training camp.
“But we will always have our eyes on the list of players that we could potentially bring in.”
In a new interview with CBS Sports, reporters asked head coach Matt Eberflus about Montez Sweat, who quickly had a major impact on the Bears upon arrival. Sweat finished the season leading the team in sacks, despite playing in just nine games.
But during his response, Eberflus potentially alluded to the idea of the Bears searching for another edge rusher in the open market to pair with Sweat.
“He demands attention. That helps free up the other rushers,” Eberflus said of Sweat. “That’s so important to be able to do that (and) to have a guy like that. When you can have two, it’s even better. And that’s something we’re searching to do here coming forward.”
Did Eberflus mean the Bears are searching internally, or externally?
Internally, they don’t have many strong options. DeMarcus Walker remains the shoo-in for the position, as of this writing. Last season with the Bears, Walker finished with 3.5 sacks and 30 tackles from a fully healthy campaign. He recorded seven sacks with the Titans one year before during the 2022 season.
Austin Booker, the rookie the Bears drafted in the fifth…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-searching-edge-rusher-opposite-185040767.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2024-08-14 18:50:40
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