The Chicago Bears were one of the busiest teams during the offseason, with several big additions on both offense and defense along with an entire new coaching staff led by head coach Ben Johnson.
The offseason additions on defense were headlined by the signings of defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, both who will come in to help build the locker room and turn things around on the field. Adding more veterans to the defensive roster, along with new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, the team will have to jell quickly if they want to be successful in the 2025 season.
One of the key returning veterans is safety Kevin Byard, who should be considered one of the core pieces coming into this year, and he’s shared his excitement for his new teammates. Last week during OTAs, Byard discussed the new additions to the defensive side of the ball and how they can band together to put together an aggressive defensive unit.
“Just the additions we made, especially on that front four with Grady (Jarrett) and Dayo (Odeyingbo) coming in, being able to help Montez (Sweat) and all those boys, I think that’s where it starts,” Byard said. “It starts up front. It starts with those guys first and foremost. Stopping the run is something we really weren’t good at last year. We can attack in that way. If we stop the run, then everything opens up for the defense. Those guys can pin their ears back, get after the quarterback, and then you start making plays. Once you get a good front four that can pretty much stop the run and also get after the quarterback and everybody’s going to sit in the zone, make plays, get interceptions. We’re going to attack and it’s going to start with those guys up front.”
There is plenty of talent on the defensive side of the football for the Bears, and adding veterans Jarrett, Odeyingbo, to the likes of Sweat and Byard, should give Allen all the tools he needs to turn the defense into an aggressive and successful one.
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