The Chicago Bears’ preseason opener comes with a built-in audition on the defensive line, and three names stand out as players who need to make a statement.
That front was viewed as the weak spot on the defense before training camp began, and with most starters expected to sit, the Bears’ depth players are about to get a real chance to show they can hold up.
Jordan van den Berg is one of the most intriguing of the bunch. The rookie sixth-round pick arrived with little fanfare, since plenty of projections had him going undrafted.
His summer got off to a rough start when he was hurt at the beginning of camp, but once he returned, he quickly climbed the depth chart. Even so, he is not a safe bet to make the roster just because he was drafted.
He still needs a strong preseason to make it hard for the Bears to let him go.
Daniel Hardy is in a different kind of spot. The edge rusher room is thin enough that he has a real lane to stick, and he has already shown he knows how to use the preseason to his advantage.
Hardy, signed by Chicago in 2024, has been a preseason standout in each of the last two years, and both times that summer momentum carried him onto the roster. The issue is that he has only 85 total snaps on defense in the regular season over two seasons.
With Shemar Turner still hurt and the top three edge rushers - Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, and Austin Booker - unlikely to play much in the preseason, Hardy has a clear path to strengthen his case again.
James Lynch sits somewhere between those two. He offers the kind of flexibility teams like to keep around: edge snaps on run downs, inside rush work on passing downs.
That versatility gives him a shot if Hardy or van den Berg slips. Lynch, the free-agent signing from the Titans, has been quiet in camp so far, though, and his spot may come down to usage.
If the Bears line him up early and move him around, that is a strong sign. If he stays buried at one position on the depth chart, his roster chances could fade quickly.
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Rookie Jordan van den Berg has also worked himself into the conversation as a possible contributor, which matters for a unit that needs reliable depth as much as headline talent. The challenge now is less about whether there is improvement and more about whether it holds, since the Bears need Dexter to keep building in a contract year and van den Berg to show he can bring the same level snap after snap. [Read more 🡒]
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