WESTFIELD, Ind. — Three weeks into training camp, the Bears don’t know quite what they have on defense yet. Their personnel upgrades should mean they’ll be better than last season, when they allowed an NFL-worst 27.2 points per game, but it’s difficult to get a read on their progress with so many key players on the sideline.
Even coordinator Alan Williams isn’t sure where they stand.
“Can I answer that later?” he asked after the Bears finished a joint practice with the Colts at Grand Park Sports Complex on Wednesday evening. “I can’t answer that question now because we have starters that aren’t in there. I don’t know just yet.”
His clarity could be further clouded after safety Eddie Jackson went down late in practice when Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman collided with him. Jackson was slated to speak to the media, but didn’t after he got hurt. Williams’ understanding was that it was relatively minor.
Before Jackson went down, the secondary was the one defensive certainty. That group returned both safeties — Jaquan Brisker, who has been out, and Jackson — and cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon from last season. The third corner spot is up for grabs between second-round pick Tyrique Stevenson and fifth-rounder Terell Smith.
“Since Day 1 it’s kept building and building,” Gordon said. “I’m proud of the way we’re growing and I’m excited to see where we go.”
Brisker also has been out with what coach Matt Eberflus has said is a minor injury.
Up front, however, the Bears have gone almost two weeks without middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and are still phasing in new defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. For context on how central those two are to the plan this season, their combined salary-cap number of $25.1 million is 25.6% of what the Bears have allotted for their defense.
The secondary, though, has looked excellent and continued that Wednesday. Jackson intercepted Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson on a deep ball early in practice, and Gordon looks dramatically improved after an up-and-down rookie season.
Stevenson’s readiness could be the difference between the healthy version of this secondary being great instead of just good. General manager Ryan Poles drafted him No. 56 overall expecting he’d be an instant starter, and he has shown some signs that he’s good enough for that even Smith has challenged for the job.
The Bears certainly were drawn to Stevenson’s tenacity, and it was unsurprising that he was in the middle of multiple confrontations with the Colts. Early in practice he delivered a big hit to Colts cornerback Tony Brown in a special teams drill, and the two needed to be separated on the sideline before it turned physical.
Last week, Stevenson had to be pulled away from wide receiver Chase Claypool when they got into it in one-on-one drills.
That could be a liability for personal fouls when the season starts, but the Bears seem pleased with Stevenson’s fierceness.
“He handles it well,” Gordon said. “He’s gonna be fine.”
Gordon also defended Stevenson’s hit that set off Brown and some of the Colts.
“They didn’t like how he finished,” Gordon said. “That’s what the Bears are. We’re gonna go out there and finish. I’m proud of him. He did his thing. Hold your own.”
The Bears are running low on time to get their starting defense on the field together, which has been a rarity so far. Eberflus has already been stressing that the instability in the lineup has been a hindrance to that group’s preparation.
After their preseason game in Indianapolis on Saturday, the Bears have two more weeks of preseason practice before they get into a game week leading into the opener against the Packers. It’s understandable that Williams wants to wait to give an assessment on how far along his defense is, but he needs that answer soon.
