Chicago Bears defense still lacking ‘continuity’ with several starters out injured

WESTFIELD, Ind. – From the sidelines over the past few weeks, Bears defensive end DeMarcus Walker saw tenacity and enthusiasm from the Bears’ defense. And he loved it.

Walker saw veterans like safety Eddie Jackson, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and defensive tackle Justin Jones setting the tone.

“We all have that love and that passion,” Walker said. “The younger guys have no choice but to follow.”

Walker, however, wasn’t participating, at least not on the field.

He spent the last two weeks or so sidelined with an undisclosed injury. He returned to practice this week when the Bears took on the Colts in a pair of joint practices Wednesday and Thursday. His return has been slow as he ramps his body up for full action.

Walker, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive end, signed with the Bears as a free agent in March on a three-year, $21 million contract. The Bears more recently also added veteran edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue on a one-year, $10 million deal. Those two moves should reshape things for the Bears at defensive end.

Walker had seven sacks last season for the Tennessee Titans. He has 19.5 sacks over the course of his six-year NFL career. He also came in and immediately stepped up as a vocal leader inside the locker room.

The Bears need their new defensive ends to stay healthy. Same goes for some of the other starters who have missed time during camp. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Jaquan Brisker remain sidelined with undisclosed injuries. Jackson took a hard hit Wednesday and didn’t practice Thursday.

“Man, I just want to see all the gangsters together,” Walker said. “You know what I’m saying? I want to see all the gangsters together. With everybody healthy and everybody of one mind.”

“Man, I just want to see all the gangsters together. You know what I’m saying? I want to see all the gangsters together. With everybody healthy and everybody of one mind.”

—  DeMarcus Walker, Bears defensive end

Head coach Matt Eberflus wants to see that, too, but the Bears are being extra cautious with injuries this time of year. Numerous Bears starters will not be playing in Saturday’s preseason game against the Colts, per Eberflus. Quarterback Justin Fields, who is not injured, will not play Saturday.

“We want to be smart about understanding that the season’s coming up and you want everyone to feel as best as we can,” linebacker T.J. Edwards said.

With Week 1 about three weeks away, the Bears are erring on the side of caution.

Edwards has been a steady presence for the defense, even with Edmunds out. That duo is expected to be a big reason why the Bears hope to see improvements defensively. General manager Ryan Poles doled out big contracts to Edmunds and Edwards. In place of Edmunds, linebackers Jack Sanborn and Noah Sewell have seen a lot of action during practice.

“I don’t think we’ll miss a beat when everyone gets back,” Edwards said. “I think it’s more time where these young guys get to develop and we get to see where we’re at with that.”

With Brisker out, backup safety Elijah Hicks has seen much more action. During Thursday’s joint practice, Hicks forced a fumble from the hands of Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Eberflus said with key starters out, it has changed the way he evaluates practice in some ways. He said he looks at the individual drills as much as the team drills to get a vision for what this defense will look like at full strength.

“You don’t have the gel of the continuity yet cause you’re missing your Mike linebacker, and that’s part of football,” Eberflus said. “We need to get those guys back shortly.”