NFL trade deadline reaction: State of Bears defensive line right now
The Bears defensive line is in some rough shape. It has lost Shemar Turner and Dayo Odeyingbo for the season in consecutive weeks.
General manager Ryan Poles tried to mend the issue with a trade with the Cleveland Browns for Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, someone who will be a rotational piece as the team moves forward. It is not a cure-all for what ails the Bears at this point. Not even close.
It’s fair to say that Austin Booker becomes a starter and a focal point moving forward. He’s not great, or at least is unproven, as a run defender. That’s where, we think, Tryon-Shoyinka comes in. He hasn’t played much football at all these days, and shouldn’t be counted on as a savior.
[READ: Bears acquire Joe Tryon-Shoyinka from Cleveland Browns at NFL trade deadline]
This is a dude has played 31 defensive snaps overall this season. This is a dude who had fallen out of favor with the freaking Browns. Let’s sit on that for a second as evaluate what he can do for the Bears.
The Bears will still implement a starting lineup of Montez Sweat, Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter Sr. and now Booker. You’d have to imagine Tryon-Shoyinka, Chris Williams, Andrew Billings and Daniel Hardy come across the line in reserve and in a rotation in specific positions.
Is that good enough? The Bears’ sack rate has been far better since Week 3. Coordinator Dennis Allen has been better dialing up pressures. Tryon-Shoyinka, is not a catch-all in that sense.
The Bears need more from those who are in the lineup. Sweat is the first culprit, a true alpha who is on a roll of late. It’s fair to say that Jarrett has underperformed to this point. And while Dexter has been good at times, he hasn’t been the dominant force most expected at the nose tackle spot or from the three technique.
[MORE: NFL trade grades: How Ryan Poles, Bears did on deadline decisions]
This trade deadline move is more about who the Bears have over who they don’t. This is the sign that they believe in Booker as a true pass rusher, and a sign that they miss Turner a great deal. We’ll have to see in the coming weeks how the defensive line rotation plays out, but it’s going to be the most interesting aspect of the Bears’ defensive personnel deployment to this point.
Submit your questions below for inclusion in the next Bears mailbag!!



