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The Chicago Bears strengthened their pass rush with the free-agent addition of Jeremiah Attaochu, who signed a two-year deal worth $5.5 million with the Bears.
A former second-round pick in 2014, Attaochu spent the last two seasons with the Denver Broncos. In his career, he’s recorded 20.5 sacks and 144 tackles in 74 games with 23 starts.
Last season, Attaochu appeared in 13 games with the Broncos, including five starts, and totaled 5.0 sacks, nine quarterback hits and 31 tackles, which was the second most of his career outside of his 2015 season (6.0 sacks and 55 tackles) with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The #Broncos coverage holds and Jeremiah Attaochu gets to Allen. pic.twitter.com/1LJ7D24wf2
— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) December 19, 2020
Attaochu replaces Barkevious Mingo, who was Chicago’s top rotational pass rusher last season. Attaochu does have experience with that, as be filled in for an injured Von Miller with the Broncos last season, also serving as a rotational edge defender.
Overall, Attaochu is an upgrade over Mingo, albeit at a higher price tag, as Mingo signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. Attaochu is a consistent run defender and has found success as a pass rusher, which should bode well for a Bears pass rush that needs to turn it up in 2021.
Grade: A-
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