What Bears coach Matt Eberflus expects and demands from his new linebackers

PHOENIX — Coach Matt Eberflus remembered the Bears’ new starting right guard Nate Davis being a problem for his Colts defense when Davis played for the Titans.

“Man, he’s an aggressive, our-style type of player, can really move people at the second level,” Eberflus said. “The inside of the pocket is sometimes underrated a little bit in terms of keeping that clean for quarterbacks because that’s where direct pressure is.”

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Davis can help improve that for quarterback Justin Fields, and Eberflus’ input undoubtedly played a role in his signing in free agency.

Eberflus’ influence always will carry weight, especially when it comes to the retooling of his defense — the worst unit in the league last season.

Here are five defensive takeaways from Eberflus’ 30-minute interview during the NFC coaches’ breakfast during the NFL owners’ meetings at the Arizona Biltmore on Tuesday.

1. Let’s end the arguments on social media, the Bears will feature Tremaine Edmunds at middle linebacker.

At first, Eberflus suggested that the Bears will “leave it open” when it comes to his depth chart. But he knows where Edmunds played his best in Buffalo, and he believes that last season was Edmunds’ best.

“He’s played mike linebacker,” Eberflus said. “He’s probably going to find his home there. But he is a big body guy.”

Eberflus wants that big body — all 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds of Edmunds — in the middle of his defense. He and linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi were “super high” on Edmunds coming out of the draft in 2018. Former Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and former linebackers coach Bob Babich also endorsed Edmunds as the Bears gathered information.

Better yet, Ebeflus felt encouraged by what he heard from his colleagues at college pro days.

“What the offensive coaches say (is) just that big-body presence in the middle in between the hashes there,” Eberflus said. “That’s where a lot of the throws go. And it really deters that. His size and length. He has tremendous range in there as a pass defender.”

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2. The Bears view their new linebackers as “longtime” players.

The money says plenty. The Bears believe in investing in their linebackers. The Bears operated that way with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on their roster, and the Colts were the same with Shaquille Leonard. Given Eberflus’ ties to both regimes through veteran defensive coach Rod Marinelli and Colts general manager Chris Ballard, it’s not surprising that the Bears splurged on the position, signing Edmunds and T.J. Edwards.

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It included giving Edmunds a top-5 contract at the position.

“A guy like T.J. and a guy like Tre, those guys are young,” Eberflus said of Edmunds, 24, and Edwards, 26. “We’re excited about where they are. And they’ve produced in the league, so it’s a known commodity. Those guys are players in this league.”

Eberflus highlighted Edwards’ instincts.

“When you’re quick to the punch and you can read plays, I think that’s a great trait to have and he has that, for sure,” he said.

As always, the draft also factored into their free-agent pursuits. It’s considered best to target other positions, namely their offensive and defensive lines.

“Where we thought the draft was this year … I thought that was a great move to take those guys (Edmunds, Edwards) where we got them,” Eberflus said. “Those guys are going to be valuable assets for our team for a long time.

3. The Bears will still judge their linebackers by their ball production and intangibles.

Edmunds might be a better fit in Eberflus’ scheme than Roquan Smith was, but he’ll be judged by the same standards. The Bears want Edmunds and Edwards to contribute takeaways — and Smith produced more than Edmunds over their first four seasons.

“All of our players, when you put it on a player’s mind and really start to train a player to take the ball away and then he has the physical attributes that he has — the length and the size and the range, that’s going to come for him,” Eberflus said. “That’s what makes those guys special. The ability to take the ball away is what takes you from a B player to an A-plus player. I really believe that all of our defense can take that step.”

The charge will start with Edmunds and Edwards. Expectations will be high for them, and Eberflus, a former linebackers coach, will be demanding. As he should be.

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“With the linebackers I’ve had the opportunity to coach, I’ve always started out with this: Your job is to hit the football,” Eberflus said. “You’re in the middle of the defense. You are always at the point of attack and we’re there to affect the game, and those guys will do that. We always look at guys that have quickness. They’ve got to be quick. They’ve got to have great instincts, which those guys have. And then really, it’s about production on the ball and be really competitive there. When you get those guys in sync, working together, with that athletic ability, it’s going to be something special to watch.”

4. The Bears know their pass rush still requires additions

The Bears were in on the best defensive linemen in free agency, but they’re not done spending on their line. Eberflus would tell you that. He remembers the Colts signing Justin Houston late in the process in 2019, though it’s already past that point in this offseason.

“A lot of times these guys want to see the landscape,” Eberflus said. “Sometimes it’s after the draft. They want to see the landscape of where teams are and what they look like. That’s certainly an option. Again, we’re always trying to add players all the way through, even up to training camp. We’re always going to do that.”

General manager Ryan Poles suggested the same when it came to offensive tackles Monday.

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Neither Poles nor Eberflus hid from the fact that the Bears have concerns up front.

Eberflus explained the roles for new defensive linemen DeMarcus Walker and Andrew Billings. Walker is a “hard-charging” end who can move inside on passing downs. Billings, the nose tackle, will anchor the inside of the line. But the Bears still need more.

“You guys know and you can see it,” Eberflus said. “We obviously need some spots on our whole football team, but certainly our lines. We’re still working on that, still going to be a work in progress. We’ll be looking for different avenues through the draft and free agency to … address that.”

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5. The Bears view cornerback as a position that requires evaluation and investment

In Eberflus’ opinion, the biggest jump for players is from Year 1 and Year 2. And he expects cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker to make it.

“It’s really because we put them in the fire,” Eberflus said. “We put them in there and that was by design. We wanted to give those guys a lot of reps, a lot of play time, and those guys did that.”

But the more interesting comments were made by Poles. He was asked whether cornerback was an option at No. 9 since it’s a premium position.

“That’s a great question,” he said. “I think they’re all up there. I’ve always kind of believed in the front. But at the same time, I think one of the things you also look into is a little bit of the supply. Where is the draft thin? Where is it heavy? And you weigh all those things and the likelihood of you getting certain players at certain parts of the draft.”

(Top photo of Tremaine Edmunds: Timothy T Ludwig / Getty Images)

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