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Nose tackle Eddie Goldman is one of the unsung heroes on the Bears, where he’s regarded as one of the NFL’s most underrated players.
Last season, safety Tashaun Gipson didn’t get a chance to work with Goldman given Goldman opted out due to COVID-19 concerns. With Goldman returning, Gipson is finally getting to see what his teammates told him about Goldman last year — that he’s pretty darn impressive.
“People used to always talk about him, like how he was specifically up against the run,” Gipson said. “I know me and Eddie [Jackson] had a lot of talks and he used to talk about how effective [Goldman] was.
“When he’s out there, there’s not many guys who can do what he does and do it how he does it. It’s a luxury to have guys like that. You’ve got linebackers behind him who can hunt; it makes their job easier as well.”
Goldman isn’t someone who talks very much. Instead, he lets his play do the talking — and Gipson has noticed that just through training camp and preseason.
“He doesn’t talk much,” Gipson said. “I think he might have said five words since I’ve been here. Five is a stretch, to be honest. But guys like that, he comes in and does his job and, I mean, the dude is talented. I’m excited to have a guy like that back on the defensive side of the ball because it makes my job easier. It makes everybody’s job easier when you’ve got a guy like him.
“It’s just going to be a fun time when this defense gets to rolling. Specifically having him back is huge.”
The Bears defensive line remains the strongest position group on the team, and they’ll be anchored by a trio of players who are among the most talented in the game in Goldman, Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols, the latter of which are entering contract years.