PACE’S BAYOU BEARS
Leading into training camp, the Sun- Times takes a closer look at each position
96 AKIEM HICKS Defensive end, sixth year 6- 5, 336, Regina ( Canada) Acquired: Signed as a free agent in 2016. Age: 27. NFL experience: 77 games ( 49 starts) in five seasons. Background: A third- round draft pick ( 89th overall) by the Saints in 2012, Hicks became a full- time starter as a 3- 4 defensive end in his second season. But he fell out of favor early in 2015 and was traded to the Patriots in Week 4. He excelled in New England, with three sacks, four quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Despite a late appeal by Patriots coach Bill Belichick himself, Hicks signed a two- year $ 10 million contract ($ 5 million guaranteed) with the Bears, who made the best per- year offer. The skinny: With a chance at likely the best contract of his career, Hicks is motivated for a big year after a productive first season with the Bears. Everything is in place for him to take the next step. He’s a strength player with pass- rush ability and is in the right position in coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense, with front- seven players around him who should be better in their second and third seasons under Fangio.
91 EDDIE GOLDMAN Defensive tackle, third year 6- 4, 320, Florida State Acquired: Second- round draft pick ( 39th) in 2015. Age: 23. NFL experience: 21 games ( 17 starts) in two seasons. Background: Made the Pro Football Writers of America all- rookie team in 2015 after finishing with 39 tackles, 4.5 sacks and six tackles- for- loss, but ended that season on injured reserve with an ankle injury he suffered in Week 16. Injury problems marred his 2016 season — he played in only six games and never more than three in a row because of a high ( left) ankle sprain. He tried to play through the injury after missing six games but had to sit out twice more and was finally put on injured reserve in Week 16. The skinny: Though he’s still a long way from Tommie Harris in his prime, Goldman clearly makes a difference in the middle, and his improved footwork, balance and body control are indicators he’s still getting better. If he can stay healthy, there’s no reason to doubt he’ll take the next step toward the Pro Bowl.
95 JAYE HOWARD Defensive tackle/ end, sixth year 6- 3, 301, Florida Acquired: Signed as a free agent in 2017. Age: 28. NFL experience: 45 games ( 30 starts) in five seasons. Background: A fourth- round draft pick ( 114th) by the Seahawks in 2012, Howard played in only two games as a rookie and was waived in the cutdown to 53 in 2013. The Chiefs signed him immediately off waivers, and he blossomed into an elite runstopper in 2014- 15 ( 24 starts), including 5.5 sacks in 2015, a contract year. He signed a two- year, $ 10 million deal ($ 8.3 million guaranteed) with the Chiefs but played in only eight games ( four starts) because of a hip injury that landed him on injured reserve. He was waived in April after failing a physical. The skinny: The Bears have a dubious history with rehabilitating injured players in the Pace/ Fox era, but if Howard is healthy, he could be a major find. There was nothing wrong with his production when healthy in Kansas City, and he’s clearly motivated to prove the Chiefs wrong for giving up on him.
90 JONATHAN BULLARD Defensive end, second year 6- 2, 290, Florida Acquired: Third- round draft pick ( 72nd) in 2016. Age: 23. NFL experience: 14 games ( one start) in one season. Background: An All- American at Florida after totaling 17.5 tackles- for- loss in 2015, Bullard made little impact as a rookie with the Bears — 24 tackles ( 18 solo) with on sack and three tacklesfor- loss. He was inactive in Week 13 against the 49ers. He played 198 defensive snaps ( 31.0 percent) — the lowest snap- count percentage of the seven defensive linemen the Bears used in 2015. The skinny: The Bears passed on a likely plug- andplay defensive end in the first round of the draft, so they’re counting on Bullard to give them the upgrade they’re looking for. The Bears say it took Bullard a year to get comfortable at his position at the NFL level and that he’ll play much more instinctively in Year 2. We’ll see about that.
98 MITCH UNREIN Defensive end, eighth year 6- 4, 299, Wyoming Acquired: Signed as a free agent in 2015. Age: 30. NFL experience: 83 games ( 16 starts) in seven seasons. Background: Signed by the Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2010, Unrein was cut and signed to the Broncos’ practice squad. He was a backup in four seasons in Denver ( 54 games, three starts), though as a fullback he caught a touchdown pass from Peyton Manning in 2012. Signed with the Chargers in 2015 and was cut in Week 3 and signed by the Bears. He started four games for the Bears in 2015 ( 32 tackles, one sack) and nine games last season ( 33 tackles, one sack). The skinny: Unrein is a dependable and steady run- stopping end and contributes on special teams, but his starting spot is one that the passrush starved Bears are looking to upgrade — with Jonathan Bullard and Jaye Howard at the top of the list. Unrein still figures to be in the mix, but for him, there’s a fine line between the roster bubble and battling for the starting job.
69 C. J. WILSON Defensive tackle, eighth year 6- 3, 290, East Carolina Acquired: Signed as a free agent in Week 11 in 2016. Age: 30. NFL experience: 84 games ( 20 starts) in seven seasons. Background: A seventh- round draft pick ( 230th overall) by the Packers in 2010, Wilson played in 50 games ( 11 starts) as an effective run- stopping defensive end in four seasons with Green Bay. As a rookie, he started in Super Bowl XLV, when the
Packers beat the Steelers 31- 25. He led all Packers defensive linemen in tackles per snap in 2012. Signed with the Raiders in 2014 and started seven games but has bounced around — the Raiders, Lions, Saints and Bears — since being cut in training camp in 2015. He had one sack and two tackles- for- loss in six games with the Bears ( one start) last season.
The skinny: A solid, consistent, unspectacular runstopper, Wilson is a valuable veteran on a winning team but is expendable on rebuilding teams. If the Bears are making progress in developing defensive linemen, there likely won’t be room for him here.
73 JOHN JENKINS Defensive tackle, fifth year 6- 3, 359, Georgia Acquired: Signed as a free agent in 2017. Age: 28. NFL experience: 51 games ( 22 starts) in four seasons. Background: A third- round draft pick ( 82nd overall) by the Saints in 2013, Jenkins started 21 games in his first three seasons as a run- stopping tackle in New Orleans — including 12 starts in 2015 — but was dogged by injuries and inconsistent production. In 2016, he was beaten out by Tyeler Davison for the starting tackle spot, started one game but lost his rotation spot, and was cut in Week 10. The Seahawks signed him the next week, and he played in two games for them. The skinny: Jenkins provides depth as a runstopper in the middle, but if Eddie Goldman is healthy, that would be a significant drop- off. One factor in Jenkins’ favor: He’ll likely have better players around him than he did most of the time in New Orleans. The former third- round pick still has a chance to produce in the right place at the right time.
74 ROY ROBERTSON- HARRIS Defensive end, Second year 6- 7, 268, Texas- El Paso Acquired: Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Age: 24. NFL experience: None. Background: While posting modest numbers in four seasons at UTEP ( 138 tackles, 25 tackles- for- loss, 10.5 sacks), the impressive- looking RobertsonHarris showed flashes of playmaker potential. The Bears were intrigued enough to not only sign Robertson- Harris as an undrafted free agent but stick with him after he was put on IR following a heat- related illness in training camp. He was moved from outside linebacker to defensive end — his primary position at UTEP — in the offseason.
The skinny: With his size, speed and length, Robertson- Harris is an intriguing prospect who figures to benefit by playing a more familiar position with his hand on the ground at end. He likely will need a lot of seasoning but figures to get that chance — on the practice squad, if not at the back end of the 53- man roster.
68 RASHAAD COWARD Defensive tackle, rookie 6- 5, 280, Old Dominion Acquired: Signed as a free agent in 2017. Age: 22. NFL experience: None. Background: Former two- star prospect from Brooklyn had a workmanlike four- year career at Old Dominion, with a little burst at the end — he had a career- high 50 tackles and 7.5 tacklesfor-loss as a senior after getting seven total TFLs in his first three seasons. Scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery against Southern Miss last season. As a junior, he had four tackles, shared a sack and shared a TFL of North Carolina State guard Joe Thuney, a starter on the Patriots’ Super Bowl team last year. Team captain as a senior. Notable: Coward blocked three kicks at Old Dominion — two field goals and a PAT. His 5.03 time in the 40 at his pro day was .03 behind firstround pick Jonathan Allen. Listed at 6- 6, 310 at Old Dominion last year. Now he’s 6- 5, 280.
67 KAPRON LEWIS- MOORE Defensive end, fourth year 6- 4, 315, Notre Dame Acquired: Signed as a free agent in 2017. Age: 27. NFL experience: Five games ( no starts) in one season. Background: Drafted in the sixth round ( 200th overall) by the Ravens in 2013 from Notre Dame after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament. Spent his rookie season on IR, then missed the 2014 season after tearing his left Achilles. He played in five of the Ravens’ first six games in 2015 and made three tackles but was inactive for the final 10 games. Spent the 2016 season on the practice squad. The skinny: The Bears must see some potential to even take a roll of the dice on a player with Lewis- Moore’s injury history. At 100 percent, he has always produced, but injuries keep getting in the way. Just about everything is going to have to go right — health, opportunity, production — for Lewis- Moore to make it here.