{"id":45896,"date":"2025-05-13T04:32:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T04:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/45896\/"},"modified":"2025-05-13T04:32:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T04:32:10","slug":"chicago-bears-roster-depth-chart-3-underrated-players-on-the-2025-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/45896\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Bears roster, depth chart: 3 underrated players on the 2025 roster"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was the joke that overtook Twitter, or X, or whatever you want to call it<\/a>, on Thursday after Chicago native Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV:<\/p>\n

\u201cChicago produced a Pope before the Bears produced a 4,000-yard passer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, we are well aware of the Bears\u2019 75-year quarterback curse<\/a>, which was not lifted in the 2024 season despite the best efforts of first overall pick Caleb Wiliams. WIlliams\u2019 own rookie yips, and three different offensive coordinators, had a lot to do with that. <\/p>\n

The Bears\u2019 conclave of decision-makers did its level best to turn things around this offseason. A new head coach and offensive mastermind in Ben Johnson, a revamped interior offensive line that could credibly be called the new Monsters of the Midway<\/a>, and the additions of some serious targets for Williams in the draft with receiver Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland\u2026 well, things should be humming on that side of the ball as long as Williams can develop in Johnson\u2019s system. We\u2019re taking the over on that one. <\/p>\n

The big stories for the Bears have been on offense this offseason, but it\u2019s also worth remembering that the hire of new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen could (and should) bring equally positive results. With his multiple fronts and aggressive coverage concepts, Allen has been one of the best distillers of defense in the NFL for a long time, and with the talent Chicago currently has for him, the hope is for a better finish than the 22nd in Defensive DVOA<\/a> ranking we saw in 2024. <\/p>\n

In the latest iteration of my \u201cHidden Gems\u201d series, in which I look at one underrated veteran, one underrated free-agent signing, and one underrated draft pick for every team, the Bears\u2019 gems are all on the defensive side of the ball. No white smoke declaring anything in this case, but there\u2019s a lot of talent that will allow Allen to do his thing as he prefers to do it. <\/p>\n

Underrated veteran: DI Gervon Dexter Sr.<\/p>\n

The Bears selected the 6\u20196, 312-pound Dexter with the 54th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Florida, and Dexter\u2019s subsequent arc has mirrored a lot of young defensive linemen. It takes a minute to get used to the fact that in the NFL, you need more than big and fast to get past the best blockers in the world. Dexter\u2019s four-sack, 29-pressure rookie season was par for the course. He started off slowly, but by the end of the season, he was bringing it with more force. In the last five weeks of the 2023 campaign, Dexter\u2019s four sacks tied him for the league lead among interior defensive linemen with several other players.<\/p>\n

Season 2 began very well \u2013 particularly in the first five weeks, when Dexter\u2019s five sacks ranked second in the NFL among interior defensive linemen behind only Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants (seven), and his 15 total pressures had him top 7 in the league. Dexter worked to keep that torrid pace up, and the path was slowed by a late-season foot injury, but the improvement was clear. <\/p>\n

\u201cHis rush production has really picked up, he\u2019s been impactful as a rusher, and he\u2019s also been able to finish against the quarterback,\u201d former defensive coordinator Eric Washington said of Dexter on January 2. \u201cI think that was a targeted area for him, and there\u2019s a lot more to gain as he continues to work and to get better and to get stronger. All of the things that you want to see in terms of his growth.\u201d <\/p>\n

With Allen and veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett now on board, Allen is already excited with how Jarrett can help push Dexter even further in his development. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think Grady\u2019s the ultimate professional,\u201d Allen remarked on April 17. \u201cI think with any young player, having somebody that you can watch \u2014 not necessarily how they play, but how they conduct themselves on a daily basis and what it takes to be a pro in our league. I think that\u2019s important for a lot of young guys. Dexter is one of them, but there\u2019s others where I think [Jarrett] can have a heavy influence more in terms of how to be a pro, as much as how to play the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, Allen\u2019s preference for playing his defensive linemen all over the place \u2013 think of how multiple and effective a guy like Cameron Jordan was in Allen\u2019s fronts with the New Orleans Saints for years \u2013 should serve Dexter and his teammates well.<\/p>\n

Gervon Dexter Sr. is one to watch for the @bears<\/a> in 2025. Started to get his pass-rush plan together at the end of his rookie season in 2023, kept it going at the start of the 2024 season, and if he’s fully healthy in 2025, No. 99 could be a real force. pic.twitter.com\/FaAGxW1Ahx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Doug Farrar \u270d (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get to another guy who\u2019s about to benefit from all of that in a major way. <\/p>\n

Underrated free-agent signing: EDGE Dayo Odeyingbo<\/p>\n

Odeyingbo, who the Bears signed to a three-year, $48 million contract with $29.5 million guaranteed in March, has been on my radar for a while as one of the most overlooked quarterback disruptors in the game today. Last season for the Indianapolis Colts, the 6\u20196, 286-pound Vanderbilt alum totaled four sacks and 42 total pressures in a career-high 439 pass-rushing snaps. This after his breakout campaign in 2023, when the 2021 second-round pick totaled 12 sacks and 29 total pressures in 365 pass-rush snaps. <\/p>\n

Odeyingbo is a unique challenge for blockers to handle because with his combination of size and speed to the pocket, he can be aligned just about anywhere on a defensive front. Last season, in fronts far more static than he\u2019ll see in the Windy City, Odeyingbo lined up 84% of the time at the right or left edge, 14% as a pass-rushing defensive tackle, and even 11 snaps at nose tackle. He\u2019s one of those rare guys who can move like a 260-pound man, and hit like he just weighed in at 300. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty aware,\u201d Odeyingbo said on March 13 when asked how he sees himself fitting into Allen\u2019s defense. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to watch his defenses in New Orleans for the last decade or so. They\u2019re exciting to watch. They get after the quarterback; they play great defense, and it\u2019s something I always wanted to be a part of. To have that opportunity here, and to see him here and have the opportunity to learn from him and learn from Coach [defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett] JG is special. It\u2019s exciting, and I see a super-bright future for myself and for the defense as a whole.\u201d <\/p>\n

As do we. <\/p>\n

Daylight come, and the blockers who have to deal with Dayo Odeyingbo from any gap wanna go home. The pursuit speed at 6-foot-6, 286 is pretty crazy. pic.twitter.com\/cwqQavaiq1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Doug Farrar \u270d (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 5, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Underrated draft pick: CB Zah Frazier<\/p>\n

The University of Texas at San Antonio has a nice NFL alumni program in recent years for a smaller school. Edge-rusher Marcus Davenport, guard Spencer Burford, and cornerback Riq Woolen have all made successful professional transitions after their time with the Roadrunners. Now, in the person of fifth-round cornerback Zah Frazier, the Bears may have a real live one. <\/p>\n

Last season, Frazier allowed 18 catches on 38 targets for 246 yards, 57 yards after the catch, one touchdown, six interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 37.7. That was his one year as a starter, so there\u2019s some projection involved, but the arrows are pointing up for the 6\u20193, 186-pound Frazier. <\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing we know about any defense coached by Dennis Allen, that defense will play a ton of press coverage. Turns out, it was new defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Al Harris who tipped his team off to Frazier\u2019s potential, and Harris was more than happy to make GM Ryan Poles aware.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually got a text in February from Al Harris saying, \u2018Hey, there\u2019s this guy, Zah Frazier, he\u2019s long and I think we can develop him as a press corner. I think that we can get him in the fourth or fifth round,\u2019\u201d Poles recalled once the draft came down. \u201cIt played out exactly that way, which was pretty cool. Al was fired up for that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019s because Harris was a bigger (6\u20191, 190) cornerback with aggressive tendencies during his 14-year NFL career? In any event, Frazier played more off than press coverage at UTSA, but with his size and wingspan (80 \u215b inches; 95th percentile among defensive backs since 1999<\/a>), the tape shows a guy who can absolutely envelop receivers when his technique is on point. <\/p>\n

I got to watch tape with Frazier at the scouting combine<\/a>, and I was impressed with his ability to see the whole field, his capacity to break off of his own assignment to help his teammates, and his knack for matching his acumen with his athleticism. Give him a development curve at the NFL level, and Frazier could be a perfect outside cornerback for what Dennis Allen prefers. <\/p>\n

The @Seahawks<\/a> stole Riq Woolen out of UTSA in the fifth round a few years back; Zah Frazier might be a similar felony if NFL teams overlook him. Six picks in 2024, and I love how he has his eyes all over the field to break off his first responsibility to get the ball. pic.twitter.com\/pMfZVuCA8V<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Doug Farrar \u270d (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

What do you think of our list? Do you agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comments! <\/p>\n