Andrew Billings – Page 2 – Syndication Server

30 Most Important Bears of 2023: No. 21 Gervon Dexter

At No. 21 in our Most Important Bears series is Gervon Dexter, who the Bears hope is the future on the interior of the defensive line.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2023 NFL season, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. There are a number of players, coaches and front office members that are crucial to the team’s success this season.

Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2023 season. We’ll recap their 2022 season, look ahead to 2023 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.

No. 21 on the list is rookie defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, who the Bears hope is the future on the interior of the defensive line.

30 Most Important Bears of 2023: No. 23 Andrew Billings

Our next player in our Most Important Bears of 2023 series is Andrew Billings, a massive defensive tackle who will improve the run defense.

Up next at No. 23 is defensive tackle Andrew Billings, a new addition to the defensive line who will be tasked with improving the team’s run defense.

LOOK: New Bears DL Andrew Billings is a mountain of a man

The Bears’ new run stuffer, Andrew Billings, is a massive human being.

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The Chicago Bears’ defensive line was the team’s biggest weakness during a disappointing 3-14 season. It was a focal point for general manager Ryan Poles this offseason, who added some new faces to the mix.

While it’s far from a finished product, there are some new additions who should help shore things up along the defensive front. That includes veterans Andrew Billings and DeMarcus Walker, as well as rookies Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens.

The Bears’ Twitter account shared a clip of the defensive line during Organized Team Activities last week, which included a look at Billings, who is a massive human being.

Billings will be tasked with clogging up running lanes on a defense that struggled mightily against the run last season, which is exactly what Chicago needs.

(DL)ASMR pic.twitter.com/MCicbyHVTw

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 28, 2023

Dexter, a second-round rookie, also stood out in this brief video, where his fluidity at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds is impressive. He’s got an impressive combination of power and movement that was evident in this video.

Granted, this is a 23-second video clip of a drill during voluntary offseason workouts, so you can’t overreact to it one way or the other. The real work begins once the pads come on in training camp, where we’ll get our first true look at this new-look defensive line.

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7 Bears veterans who could lose their jobs to rookies

Some Bears veterans should be on notice with incoming rookies who could challenge them for their jobs.

The Chicago Bears have overhauled their roster ahead of the 2023 NFL season, where general manager Ryan Poles has added some veterans and rookies who could have significant impacts.

When looking at the 2023 NFL draft in particular, Poles appeared to draft (or sign) rookies who should contribute immediately. In fact, some of those players could challenge established veterans for their jobs.

Training camp and preseason will present some intriguing position battles that will have big implications on the depth chart.

From Cairo Santos to Kindle Vildor to Jack Sanborn, here are some Bears veterans who should be on notice with incoming rookies challenging them for their jobs.

Raiders not expected to receive compensatory draft picks in 2024

No comp picks for Raiders next year

For the first time in a while the Raiders had compensatory picks in this year’s draft. They had two of them, in fact — at the end of rounds five and six. But in this year’s free agency, they again are looking at a net gain in free agency, which means no compensatory picks in the 2024 draft are expected.

Here are the Raiders’ free agent losses vs gains as detailed by Overthecap.com:

Lost – 3

Jarrett Stidham
Denzel Perryman
Andrew Billings

Gains — 6

Jimmy Garoppolo
Jakobi Meyers
Marcus Epps
Robert Spillane
Brandon Facyson
Austin Hooper

The Raiders also lost Clelin Ferrell and Mack Hollins but they don’t count in the formula, and even if they did, the Raiders would still have more outgoing than incoming, so it wouldn’t really matter.

There are several factors that play into what kind of compensation a team gets from lost free agents. But the first one is simple math. If they signed more free agents than they lost, they don’t get any picks for that.

Twitter reacts to the Bears’ selection of DT Gervon Dexter Sr.

The Bears went defensive line with the No. 53 pick, selecting Gervon Dexter Sr. out of Florida. Here is how Twitter reacted to the news.

The Chicago Bears fortified the offensive line with their first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Now they did the same on the defensive line with their second pick. The Bears selected defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. out of Florida with the No. 53 overall pick.

Dexter has the ideal size and talent for a defensive tackle, standing at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds, but needs work on his technique coming off the line. He’ll have his opportunity to get meaningful reps on a defensive line that has Justin Jones and Andrew Billings as the top options but could use some refining before that happens.

Regardless, the Bears needed help on the interior of the defensive line and got it with Dexter. Here is how Twitter is reacted to the selection.

One thing to love about each of the Bears’ free agent additions

From Tremaine Edmunds’ youth to Andrew Billings’ technique, here’s one thing to love about each of the Bears’ 2023 free agent signings.

The Chicago Bears have added 11 significant additions to their team in free agency this offseason. Chicago had the most cap space in the NFL to spend, and general manager Ryan Poles made good on that, using that money to start to fill holes with young talent.

Key additions in Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards will help fix the holes created at linebacker when the Bears traded away Roquan Smith last season.

Whether it’s a new starter or a depth player, these 11 additions all bring something exciting to the 2023 roster. Here’s one thing to love about each of the Bears’ free-agent additions.

Grading the Bears’ signing of DE Rasheem Green

The Bears made another low-risk move on the defensive line by signing DE Rasheem Green. Here is our initial grade of the deal.

The Chicago Bears took another stab at fortifying their defensive line on Thursday, signing former Houston Texans defensive end Rasheem Green to a one-year contract. Green is entering his sixth season as a pro, initially getting selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Over the course of four seasons, Green was effective as a role player for the Seahawks. He notched at least four sacks in two of those years, having his best season in 2021 when he recorded 48 total tackles (six for a loss) with 6.5 sacks in his lone season as a full-time starter.

Green spent the 2022 season with the Texans where he was a rotational player. He totaled 42 tackles (five for a loss) along with 3.5 sacks in 16 games. Now he comes to the Bears in a similar capacity to help improve what was an abysmal pass rush in 2022. Here is our initial grade of the signing.

2023 Bears free agency: Contract details for new players

Here’s a look at the basic contracts for the Bears’ new additions through the first wave of free agency.

The first couple of weeks of free agency are in the books, and the Chicago Bears have added a handful of new players to the roster.

While Bears general manager Ryan Poles invested a lot into the linebacker position, he also negotiated some bargain contracts for starters and depth pieces.

Still, the Bears are sitting in a great position with the salary cap. They still have around $38 million in available cap space — most in the league — to make additional moves in the later waves of free agency and for the upcoming rookie draft class.

Here’s a look at the basic contracts for the Bears’ new additions during the first wave of free agency:

Note: New details will be added as they become available.

Grading the Bears’ signing of DT Andrew Billings

Andrew Billings immediately upgrades the Bears run defense at a reasonable cost. Here is our grade of the signing.

Defensive line was a glaring weakness for the Chicago Bears throughout the 2022 season and general manger Ryan Poles took another step towards improving it for 2023. The Bears signed former Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Andrew Billings to a one-year deal on Thursday. It’s their second addition to the line after signing DeMarcus Walker earlier in the week.

Billings was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round in 2016 but missed his rookie season due to a torn meniscus. He bounced back in 2017 and has had a modest career up to this point. Last year for the Raiders, Billings notched a career-high 39 total tackles (three for a loss), and one sack. He joins the Bears as someone who will rotate in as an interior lineman who will hopefully be a solution when it comes to stopping the run. Here is our initial grade of the move.