The Chicago Bears defense was arguably the most dominant in the NFL last season and it’s carried over to the offseason where many of the key starters are being recognized as some of the best in the game.
Pro Football Focus is in the midst of their annual ranking of the top 101 players in the NFL and six Bears (all on defense) already made the cut before the top 10 has even been announced.
We know Khalil Mack will be in that elite group, so it’s safe to assume Chicago will field seven of their 11 starters in PFF’s top 101.
That’s impressive. And here’s where they rank.
11. Akiem Hicks
Hicks had arguably the best year of his career in 2018, even though his stats dipped just a bit from 2017. Still, he was finally recognized for the first time as a Pro Bowl player and, believe it or not, we still may not have seen his best football yet.
Hicks finished the regular season as the fourth-highest graded interior defensive linemen and held top 10 marks in both pressures and stops. His effect on the game didn’t stop there, however, as he also batted five passes and chipped in by forcing three fumbles, all from the interior of the defensive line.
14. Eddie Jackson
Jackson went from rookie steal to elite superstar in his second year in Chicago. He’s the Bears’ most critical playmaker on defense and has emerged as one of the top safeties in the NFL.
Simply put, Jackson’s body of work across his 589 coverage snaps this year has been some of the best that we’ve ever seen from a safety. In his 14 regular-season games, Jackson’s performance in coverage earned a coverage grade of 94.7 which not only led all defensive players in the NFL this year, but it’s tied for the best mark ever recorded by a safety in the PFF era (2006-present).
66. Kyle Fuller
GM Ryan Pace matched the Packers’ offer sheet to Fuller last offseason and it turned out to be a stroke of genius. Fuller has finally become the lockdown cornerback the Bears envisioned when he was drafted in the first round in 2014.
Fuller wrapped up his fourth season in the Chicago Bears’ secondary following the loss to the Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs, and it was arguably the best of his young NFL career. He logged a whopping 20 combined pass breakups and interceptions on the year and allowed a paltry 66.6 passer rating on throws into his coverage.
81. Bryce Callahan
Callahan suffered a season-ending foot injury in December and is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in March, making his future with the Bears in doubt. Still, he’s one of the NFL’s top slot corners and should be Pace’s top priority to re-sign now that Bobby Massie is already back in the fold.
Once an afterthought, the importance of the slot cornerback has begun to come to light in recent seasons, and Callahan was one of the best in 2018. All told, Callahan allowed a passer rating of just 78.9 on throws into his slot coverage, good for seventh among players at the position.
88. Eddie Goldman
Goldman was the beneficiary of a big contract extension last offseason and he rewarded the Bears with a career year on Chicago’s defensive line.
Goldman capped off a career year in Chicago with an overall grade of 89.2 – almost 15 points higher than his previous career best. In a tremendous season, Goldman was at his best against the run, where he racked up 27 run stops from 211 run-defense snaps.
100. Prince Amukamara
Amukamara, armed with a multi-year contract for the first time in many seasons, played relaxed and loose in 2018. He’s the ideal complement to Kyle Fuller and will continue to be a strong starter in the Bears’ secondary.
Plagued by injuries throughout most of his career, Amukamara makes the list with a career-best 81.0 overall grade this season, including playoffs. He allowed an 81.9 passer rating when targeted in coverage with 10 combined pass breakups and interceptions. He was also great in run support with a 90.5 run defense grade, third-best at the cornerback position.
