Tag: Demarcus Walker

30 Most Important Bears of 2023: No. 10 DeMarcus Walker

At No. 10 in our 30 Most Important Bears of 2023 is DeMarcus Walker, who was brought in to shore up Chicago’s struggling pass rush.

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.

We’ve reach the top 10, which kicks off with defensive end DeMarcus Walker, who was brought in to help shore up Chicago’s struggling pass rush.

Ranking the best Bears offseason acquisitions

We looked at every Bears offseason acquisition made by Ryan Poles to determine which ones were the best.

When the Chicago Bears take the field for the first training camp practice later this month, there will be plenty of new faces to see. General manager Ryan Poles was busy this offseason, overhauling areas of the Bears in hopes of improving upon a league-worst 3-14 record.

But with premium draft capital and the most available cap space of any team in the league, Poles made plenty of moves to bring in new players that should help the Bears rebound. Some moves were flashy signings that took place at the start of free agency. Others were late-round draft picks who could turn out to be steals. But which ones were the best?

Here is our ranking of the best Bears offseason moves thus far in 2023.

30 Most Important Bears of 2023: No. 27 Dominique Robinson

Our next player in our Most Important Bears series is Dominique Robinson, who could be a sneaky candidate to have a breakout season.

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.

Coming in at No. 27 is defensive end Dominique Robinson, who has a golden opportunity to take a big step in his second season.

Bears have new swagger heading into 2023 season

The Bears only won 3 games last season, but they slammed a door on 2022. “This is the 2023 Chicago Bears. We got a whole new identity.”

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The Chicago Bears only won three games last season, but there’s plenty of optimism surrounding this team heading into 2023. And that starts with the mindset inside the locker room.

One thing that’s been evident this offseason is that there’s a new swagger about this 2023 Bears squad, which is confident, passionate and ready to prove doubters wrong.

“The energy is just so intense out there right now,” safety Eddie Jackson said. “When you get a bunch of guys like that, you’re going to create something special. … The type of guys we have in the locker room, real leaders, guys who really care about football.”

The Bears have some new veteran faces on the roster, including defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker, who have contributed to the culture.

When asked about his awareness of the team’s struggles last season, which included losing their final 10 games, Walker slammed a door on 2022.

“This is the 2023 Chicago Bears,” he said. “We got a whole new identity, whole new offense, whole new defense, whole new group of guys. Honestly, f–k that s–t.”

Not only do the Bears have a new-look roster, but the NFC North is wide open and ripe for the taking following Aaron Rodgers’ departure to the New York Jets. New tight end Robert Tonyan likes the Bears’ chances in the divison.

“I love where we are at,” he said. “Overlooked, underrated. Whatever you want to call it. They still have to step on the field and beat us.”

The Bears will have to prove it on the field when the season kicks off Sept. 10. But if last season is any indication — where Matt Eberflus kept his team competitive in most games despite having arguably the league’s worst roster — Chicago could go from worst to first.

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Bears still figuring out where DeMarcus Walker will line up along D-line

The Bears have a versatile defensive lineman in DeMarcus Walker: “You can put me anywhere.”

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The Bears’ pass rush was virtually nonexistent last season, which is why they went out and signed defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker, coming off a career-year with the Titans.

Walker has already established himself as a leader on defense. Now, the question becomes where he’ll line up along the defensive line, given he’s played both outside and inside.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said his staff is still figuring out where Walker will line up, be it outside or inside. Chicago knew they were getting a versatile linemen in Walker, who has played up and down the line throughout his career.

As for Walker, he doesn’t have a preference for where he lines up along the defensive line. He’s just looking to make an impact.

“You can put me anywhere. Put me anywhere,” Walker said Wednesday, noting he got that mentality when he was with the Texans in 2021.

The Bears could utilize Walker at multiple positions this season, but there’s no denying the need for a productive edge rusher. Chicago had the league’s worst pass rush last season with 20 sacks. Walker was brought in to help with that — “that’s why I’m here” — but the team might not be done adding at the position.

Eberflus was asked about adding an edge rusher before training camp, and it certainly sounds like it’s on the table.

“Yeah, I think they’re always looking for all positions,” Eberflus said. “You know I think that is one position we are looking at and potentially we could get that done.”

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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.

Bears 2023 NFL draft preview: Where does Chicago stand at DE?

Defensive end is the next focus in our Bears positional reviews, where the team is still looking for their star pass rusher.

The Chicago Bears have had a busy offseason, working to improve the team following their historic 3-14 run during the 2022 season during general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus’ first year with the team. Now going into Year 2, Poles and Eberflus are working to get the Bears back to relevancy and build a foundation that will eventually lead to postseason success.

Following their free agency frenzy, the Bears are setting their sights towards the 2023 NFL draft, which is quickly approaching. After initially winding up with the No. 1 overall pick, the Bears moved down to No. 9 following a lucrative trade with the Carolina Panthers. They will look to shore up certain positions such as offensive tackle and defensive line that still have glaring holes.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position to break down where Chicago stands entering the NFL draft. After looking at the offensive side of the ball, it’s time to turn our focus to defense. We begin with defensive end where the Bears are still searching for their star pass rusher.

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.

Breaking down every Bears move through first wave of free agency

From signings to trades, here’s a look at every move the Bears made through the first wave of free agency.

The Chicago Bears have made a slew of moves through the first wave of free agency, including the addition of some impact starters and one blockbuster trade involving the No. 1 pick.

So far, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has addressed concerns at linebacker, defensive line, wide receiver and running back. And he’s far from done.

Poles has mentioned in the past that he’s a big proponent of the second and third waves of free agency, where he’ll be able to address depth concerns with more favorable contracts in the coming weeks.

With that in mind, here’s a look at every move the Bears have made through the first wave of free agency: