Tag: Bilal Nichols

Bears remove DT Bilal Nichols from reserve/COVID-19 list

Some good news on the COVID front for the Bears as DT Bilal Nichols was removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, where Chicago is looking to find their way back into the win column. And luckily for the Bears, they’re starting to get back some key players from COVID reserve.

The Bears removed defensive tackle Bilal Nichols from the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Friday, which is good news considering defensive tackle Akiem Hicks landed on the list on Thursday and most likely won’t be able to play Sunday.

Since the Bears’ COVID-19 outbreak last week, they’ve gotten back Nichols, offensive tackle Larry Borom, safety Eddie Jackson, nose tackle Eddie Goldman, cornerbacks Duke Shelley and Artie Burns, and defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

But there are still a handful of players that remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including receiver Allen Robinson, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, safety Tashaun Gipson and Hicks.

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Bears announce roster moves heading into Week 16

The Bears have signed Thomas Graham Jr. to the active roster, placed Bilal Nichols on COVID reserve and activated 2 players off the list.

The Chicago Bears (4-10) are coming off a frustrating loss to the Minnesota Vikings (7-7) on Monday Night Football, which eliminated Chicago from postseason contention.

Now, their attention shifts to Week 16, where they’ll battle the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. But before that, the Bears announced some roster moves, including the signing of rookie cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. to the active roster.

Here’s a look at the roster moves the Bears made on Tuesday ahead of Week 16 against the Seahawks, including movement on the COVID-19 front.

4 takeaways from Bears’ vile 38-3 loss to the Bucs

As Matt Nagy would say, this is a game you watch once, then throw in the trash and move on. Our takeaways from the Bears’ humiliating loss.

You know what’s funny and sad at the same time? I could probably lift my quick recap and takeaways from the Chicago Bears’ loss to the Cleveland Browns last month, change a few words here and there, and run the same stories because that’s essentially what happened.

The Bears were boat raced by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-3 thanks to an offense that couldn’t protect Justin Fields yet again, dropped passes from the pass catchers, and a defense that was put in poor situations all day long against Tom Brady. It’s the recipe for disaster and that’s exactly what happened.

As Matt Nagy would say, this is a game you watch once, then throw in the trash and move on. But this is the second of those games in under 30 days. That trash has to be piling up. There’s not much to takeaway from this beatdown that hasn’t already been said but here are my takeaways from the Bears’ latest loss.

Bilal Nichols won’t be suspended for punch that got him ejected in Bucs loss

Finally, some good news to come out of the Bears’ embarrassing loss to the Bucs as Bilal Nichols won’t be suspended after punch.

Finally, some good news to come out of the Bears’ embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Bucs.

Bears defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, who was ejected for throwing a punch at Bucs center Ryan Jensen, won’t be suspended for the punch, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Jensen was giving cheap shots to Chicago’s defense all game, and frustrations finally reached a boiling point for Nichols. But Nichols can’t lose his cool like that, even in a blowout loss.

“Those guys know that we can’t do that,” said head coach Matt Nagy after the game. “We’ve discussed a similar situation like last year with a player that they had with a player who was out there today. You know, it was loud and clear. But our guys understand, they know that every action has a reaction. What we need to do is continue to keep emphasizing it like we are, and guys gotta follow up by not falling into that trap.”

Nichols is the third Bears player to be ejected for throwing a punch in the last year. He joins former Bears receivers Javon Wims and Anthony Miller, who each threw a punch at Saints safety CJ Gardner-Johnson — Wims last November and Miller a couple of months later in the postseason.

 

Studs and duds from Bears’ brutal 38-3 loss to Bucs

Few Bears players stood out in this game. Here are our studs and duds from Sunday’s brutal loss to the Bucs.

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The Buccaneers forced the Bears’ defense to play with its back against the wall for nearly the entirety of Sunday’s game while Chicago’s offense could only muster three points in an embarrassing 38-3 loss on the road.

The Buccaneers started six offensive possessions with a short field in Bears territory and scored 31 of their 38 points on those drives. On offense, 9-of-13 Bears’ offensive possessions ended in either a punt or a turnover.

Few Bears players stood out in this game. However, here are the studs and duds from Sunday’s brutal loss to Tampa Bay.

Bears name team captains for Week 6 vs. Packers

Bilal Nichols, Jimmy Graham and Xavier Crawford will be the Bears’ captains when they kick things off against the Packers on Sunday.

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As the Chicago Bears gear up their Week 6 game against the Green Bay Packers, there will once again be rotating weekly captains for each game, something head coach Matt Nagy established back in 2018.

There will be one captain from each phase — offense, defense and special teams — which will give different players an opportunity to represent their squad throughout the year.

For their Week 6 game against the Packers, the team captains will be defensive end Bilal Nichols, tight end Jimmy Graham and cornerback/special teamer Xavier Crawford.

The Bears defense is going to have to contend with Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a strong run game with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, which means Nichols is going to need a big game if Chicago hopes to pull off the upset.

Graham hasn’t been involved on offense much this season, but the hope is that changes Sunday against Green Bay, especially if the Bears get down in the red zone. Not only is Graham a viable threat in the end zone, but the Packers have allowed a touchdown on every opponent possession in the red zone this season.

The Bears have had strong special teams play this season, which includes Crawford’s contributions as a gunner. Chicago is going to need to play another game of complementary football to pull off an upset against the Packers.

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Chicago Bears’ defensive lineman snags Detroit Lions’ snap

Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions with the bizarre turnover

Just when you thought the Detroit Lions have done everything imaginable wrong, the NFC North doormats fool you.

They are in the process of being handled by the Chicago Bears on Sunday when Jared Goff & Co. delivered one for the books of how not to execute the center-quarterback exchange.

Check it out as Goff decides to change things around with the team lined up and the center snaps the ball to an unprepared quarterback.

The ball winds up in the hands of Bears defensive lineman Bilal Nichols.

Dan Campbell talks a big game but he has a bigger task in trying to fix this Motown debale.

Bilal Nichols describes what’s it like facing Bears rookie Justin Fields in practice

Bears rookie Justin Fields, who has served as the scout team QB, has left an impression on his defensive teammates.

Bears rookie Justin Fields has garnered a ton of hype since he was drafted by Chicago, and that excitement has also been palpable among his teammates and coaches, who have raved about him since the offseason.

While Fields looks to assume the starting role this week with starter Andy Dalton nursing a bone bruise in his knee — an injury that could sideline him several weeks — the rookie has already left an impression on his defensive teammates.

As the backup quarterback, Fields served as the scout team quarterback, where he was going against the starting defense in practice for two weeks. And he certainly left an impression on defensive lineman Bilal Nichols, who raved about his abilities.

“He can put a ball on a dime,” Nichols said. “Some of the windows he squeezes the ball into, the accuracy throwing on the run, it’s incredible. … He’s a tremendous player. He has a lot of upside. He’s definitely going to be a dude in this league.”

Fields saw his first extended action in the NFL in relief of Dalton, who exited the game after suffering a knee injury during a scramble, but it was a rough outing for the rookie.

While Fields was shaky, making some expected rookie mistakes and having obvious miscues with the starting offense given his lack of first-team reps, he should fare better with a full week of practice and a game plan specifically catered to him.

Despite the mistakes, Fields flashed his ability against the Bengals, including his mobility and insane ball placement, where receiver Allen Robinson dropped an easy touchdown pass.

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Ranking the Bears’ most important defensive players for 2021 season

We’re ranking the 10 most important Bears players on defense heading into the 2021 season.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of the 2021 season, where they’ll face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football on Sept. 12. But there are plenty of questions facing this team, including on defense.

There are some notable changes on defense, starting with new defensive coordinator Sean Desai, who will look to put his players in the best positions for success. The biggest concern facing the defense is the lack of depth at cornerback, where Jaylon Johnson is the only reliable cornerback currently on the roster. With the return of Eddie Goldman, the Bears defensive front has an opportunity to be a force.

We’re ranking the 10 most important Bears players on defense heading into the 2021 season:

Bears 2021 training camp roster preview: Defensive line

It’s time to dive in and preview the Bears’ defensive linemen heading into training camp.

Chicago Bears training camp is less than a month away, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

We’ve covered the entire offense, looking at quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and offensive line. Now it’s time to turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball, beginning with the guys in the trenches; the defensive line.

This position group had some stellar play from its starters such as defensive ends Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols, while also getting production from a few key reserves like Mario Edwards Jr. But there was one noticeable absence throughout the entire season that created a figurative (and sometimes literal) hole in the middle of the line with nose tackle Eddie Goldman opting out of the season due to concerns surround the COVID-19 virus.

Will Goldman, Hicks, and Nichols be ready to go when camp arrives? Who might be this year’s unsung hero on the line? It’s time to dive in and preview the Bears’ defensive linemen heading into training camp.