Eddie Goldman isn't coming back. So what's next for Bears defensive line?

If Eddie Goldman can be a part of the team, in any way, Bears defensive line coach Jay Rodgers wants to keep him involved.

The fact remains, however, that the 26-year-old defensive tackle has opted out of the 2020 season and will not be on the field when the Bears open the season at Detroit on Sept. 13.

“Eddie is still a part of this team and we're going to constantly be communicating with him all the time,” Rodgers said. “If there's something that he really wants to do during the season, that he's able to do — I don't know exactly what the rules are at this point right now – but if there's something he can do, then I want to keep him involved as much as possible. But he's a big part of what we've been able to accomplish over the years.”

Goldman has started at least 15 games in each of the past three seasons and was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2019. He will be missed on the field and off.

The Bears have a number of directions they can go on the defensive line to fill in for Goldman. The team cross trains all of its defensive linemen to play each spot on the line.

Right now, a week into training camp and still a week away from a padded practice, everyone has a chance to earn playing time. Rodgers would not yet say who might be in line for first-team reps at Goldman's nose tackle position.

Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols are locks to start on the defensive line. Roy Robertson-Harris, Abdullah Anderson and Brent Urban return with experience from last season. Free agent signing John Jenkins also joins the mix.

“It’s an opportunity for all those guys,” Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano said. “Bilal, Roy, Brent Urban, Ab. Luckily, we've got good depth and [general manager Ryan Pace has] done a great job building the roster. We're going to miss Eddie."

Head coach Matt Nagy singled out Hicks as one of the players who showed up to training camp in "great shape." Hicks will certainly remain on the edge. His elbow appears to be back to full health, according to his recent Instagram posts, after missing more than half the 2019 season with a dislocated elbow.

Rodgers said Nichols and Anderson have been trained to play nose. So has Jenkins, who had a previous stint with the Bears in 2017. Urban and Robertson-Harris have not played much nose tackle.

“What you'd like to have is the best two, three, four guys out there on the field that you could possibly put out there, with the ability to substitute when you need to and not have any drop-off,” Rodgers said.

Jenkins returns to Chicago after stints with the New York Giants in 2018 and the Miami Dolphins in 2019. He played in all 16 games last year for Miami. He has experience at the nose position, which could be an advantage.

Nichols could slide into the nose spot and Robertson-Harris could take over on the end opposite Hicks. Robertson-Harris led the Bears defensive line in snaps last year, capitalizing on all the time Hicks missed with the injury. His 543 defensive snaps were more than Goldman, Nichols and the now-departed Nick Williams, who signed a free agent contract with Detroit.

Even all those snaps for Robertson-Harris amounted to only about 50% of the Bears' defensive plays. So, in all likeliness, it will remain a by-committee effort.

“Roy has established himself to be a really good defensive end in our 3-4 system,” Rodgers said. “As far as his opportunities, we're going to continue to evaluate those opportunities as the training camp goes on. The more you can do, the more you can get to do. So, if he shines like we're expecting him to shine, then he'll get more opportunities just like everybody else.”