James Lynch may not have entered Bears training camp with much buzz, but he’s got one clear path to making this roster: stop the run and make himself impossible to ignore.
The former Tennessee Titan landed near the bottom of Chicago’s defensive line picture when camp chatter first started, and on paper, that’s still the tough sell. Lynch has spent six NFL seasons as, at most, a rotational piece, which is why his odds of sticking feel thin. A practice squad role looked like the most realistic outcome.
But there’s a wrinkle here. People who watched him closely in Tennessee think he has a real trait the Bears can use.
FanSided Titans expert Justin Melo described Lynch this way: “Lynch is an underrated defensive lineman capable of giving the defense rotational snaps. He's an effective run stopper with a big body.”
That matters, because the next part of Melo’s assessment gets right to the heart of Lynch’s roster case.
“Lynch is a good player if he's your fourth or fifth defensive lineman in rotation.”
That’s the lane he has to win in camp and the preseason. He doesn’t need to become a headline player. He needs to be useful, steady, and strong enough against the run to justify a spot on a crowded interior line.
The Bears kept five interior defensive linemen on their 53-man roster last season, and the depth chart in front of Lynch is not exactly forgiving. Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr. look like the starters. Free-agent additions Neville Gallimore and Kentavius Street are next in line, with Gallimore’s two-year, $10 million deal making him the obvious third man in the mix.
Street’s contract was a one-year deal worth about $1.5 million. Lynch signed for one year and $1.3 million, so the financial gap there is pretty small. Even so, Street would seem to have the edge at first glance.
Then there’s rookie sixth-round pick Jordan van den Berg, a player the Bears are clearly excited about because of his athleticism. That makes it hard to imagine him being the odd man out.
So if Chicago only keeps five interior defensive linemen again, the last spot may come down to Street and Lynch.
And that’s where the numbers give Lynch a real opening. Pro Football Focus had Street at a 49.8 run defense grade last year, while Lynch checked in at 59.0. That difference could end up being the separator.
The Bears may not keep six interior defensive linemen, which makes this a tight race. Lynch still looks like a long shot on the surface, but he’s not just camp filler. If he proves he can be the fourth or fifth man in that room, he has a legitimate shot to stay.
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