Most national conversation about the 2024 Bears centers on Caleb Williams and the awesome collection of skill players around him. That makes sense, considering the USC product is the No. 1 overall draft pick and can make football miracles happen.

Overlook the Bears defense at your own peril. This group doesn’t have a superstar on the T.J. Watt level, but there’s so much depth and talent on the initial 53-man roster that it’s going to be tough to score on these guys. That steadiness could make them the true backbone of this team and help the Bears weather the rookie mistakes Williams will inevitably make.

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Let’s take a closer look at this unit by position group – knowing it will be in some flux heading into Week 1 – and the specialists as well.

DEFENSIVE LINE (10)

Andrew Billings, Austin Booker, Gervon Dexter, Daniel Hardy, Zacch Pickens, Dominique Robinson, Montez Sweat, Darrell Taylor, DeMarcus Walker, Chris Williams

There are a lot of defensive ends in this group. Like, maybe too many. The Bears are looking for someone to emerge opposite Sweat, and early on it could be a mix of Taylor and Walker, depending on the situation. Booker has been impressive. So has Hardy, and the Bears seem to like Robinson a great deal. It still seems possible that one of them ends up on the practice squad – the Bears will need to create space for a new long snapper – but they’ll continue to try and find the right rotation and role players to help generate a pass rush.

The Bears might need a talent infusion on the inside, even after trading for Williams. It’s uncertain how long Pickens will be out, but he could be an important depth piece behind Billings and Dexter. Same with Williams.

LINEBACKERS (5)

Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Jack Sanborn, Noah Sewell

This is another team strength, with Edmunds as a top-tier interior linebacker and Edwards also capable of making plays as a steadying presence. There’s depth here as well, which will help in case of an injury while supplying core members of the kicking game. This is a sturdy position group of sure tacklers, which will help the defense as a whole.

DEFENSIVE BACKS (10)

Josh Blackwell, Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, Kyler Gordon, Elijah Hicks, Jaylon Johnson, Jaylon Jones, Jonathan Owens, Terrell Smith, Tyrique Stevenson

The Bears secondary has been hands down the most impressive position group I’ve seen in my short time covering the Bears. While the receiver corps is impressive, that was expected. Time and time again, though, defensive backs make aggressive plays on the ball. Overall, these guys are good. Really good.

They have three legit cornerbacks in Johnson, Gordon and Stevenson. Brisker is everywhere and Byard is a seasoned vet. Even the depth is strong, with some 53-man-roster-worthy talents that didn’t make this team. If the defensive front can an establish a decent pass rush, the secondary is going to take the ball away. Like, a lot.

SPECIALISTS (3)

Cairo Santos, Patrick Scales, Tory Taylor

We won’t spend much time here because we know Santos is reliable and Taylor punts rockets. The Bears will be on the hunt for a long snapper, with the Chicago Sun-Times reporting that Scales will end up on IR as early as tomorrow. They’ll need a new one and could look for a veteran to fill in until Scales returns.

Follow Bears Insider Scott Bair on X @ScottBairNFL.