Bleacher Report examined some surprise starters that could emerge from every team this season. There are a few candidates on a Chicago Bears team that lost some key defensive reserve players that stepped up in the face of injury last season.
Given that both inside linebackers Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith suffered injuries last season, it makes sense that inside linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe could play for a big role for Chicago in 2020, as explained by B/R.
While Trevathan and Smith return, the team’s third linebacker spot remains important since that duo has combined to start a full 16-game slate just twice in 10 total seasons. Plus, another linebacker could get extra opportunities in sub-packages.
The Bears didn’t sign or draft anyone to fill this role.
Instead, Joel Iyiegbuniwe and Josh Woods will have an opportunity to serve as depth and possibly more. Iyiegbuniwe should have the edge as a 2018 fourth-round pick—Woods went undrafted that year—and the fact that he played in 31 games over the last two seasons.
Iyiegbuniwe, a former fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky, didn’t see much action last season, as he logged just three tackles in 15 games for the Bears. He’s appeared in 31 games over the course of two seasons with the Bears, where he served primarily on special teams.
But with the departures of Nick Kwiatkoski and Kevin Pierre-Louis in free agency, Iyiegbuniwe has an opportunity to seize that third inside linebacker spot and be the first man up should Trevathan or Smith be out of commission. Regardless, his workload on defense figures to be increased in 2020, at the very least as a reserve. It’s finally time to see what Iyiegbuniwe can provide on defense.
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