Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams wants to see more from his defense

WESTFIELD, Ind. – Even after an eight-sack performance in Saturday’s preseason win over the Tennessee Titans, Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams took a measured approach when reviewing the film.

“I loved that we hit the quarterback at a high rate, so that’s improvement,” Williams said. “I love the way we took away the football. That’s improvement.”

But he didn’t go so far as to say his defense was outstanding. Is the defense where it should be at this point in training camp?

“Yes and no,” Williams said.

The Bears have a long way to go. This was one of the worst defenses in football last year, ranking last in points against per game, 29th in total yards and 31st against the run. Even with some key additions, it’s going to take a lot to turn this defense around in one year.

But an eight-sack performance Saturday, even in a relatively meaningless preseason game, is a boost of confidence.

The sacks help everybody on the defense. The Bears couldn’t sack the quarterback last season, finishing with a league-worst 20 sacks. That affected every level of the defense. The secondary had to cover receivers longer.

“Once the rush starts going, [the opponent is] going to start throwing the ball, we’re going to get more interceptions,” cornerback Kyler Gordon said. “So it’s a back and forth, they’re going to get sacks, we’re going to get picks.”

Williams had a chance to learn even more about his defense Wednesday when the Bears took on the Colts in the first of two joint practices at Colts training camp just north of Indianapolis. The Bears’ defense had a good evening against rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson and the Colts.

“It gives our guys a fresh look,” Williams said. “A fresh look at one-on-ones. The big deal is: Can you win your matchup of the guy that’s across from you. It’s always good to see a different venue, to see if guys can go, ‘Hey, it’s still practice.’ It’s still technique. It’s still getting lined up. It’s just a different venue.”

The Bears and Colts will return for another joint practice Thursday night.

The Bears once again were without several key defenders during Wednesday’s practice. Starters Tremaine Edmunds at linebacker and Jaquan Brisker at safety remain sidelined with undisclosed injuries, but the Bears coaching staff doesn’t seem worried that missed time will affect the defense. Edmunds and Brisker have both been sidelined about two weeks.

The Bears’ defense will rely heavily on those two. Edmunds is a key offseason addition, and not having him in camp isn’t ideal, but he’s a veteran. Brisker, a second-year pro, missed much of training camp last year and said in the spring that it set him back.

Once again, he has been sidelined for a large portion of camp.

“Yeah, he’s definitely itching [to play],” Gordon said of Brisker. “Who doesn’t want to be out there? He loves this sport, so he’s always on the sideline talking, helping on the plays. His head’s in the game the whole entire time taking mental reps.”