The Chicago Bears haven't been able to find much production out of their defensive line since head coach Matt Eberflus was hired ahead of the 2022 season.

After ranking dead last in sacks in 2022 and following a similar trend to start the 2023 season, the Bears front office went out to acquire a star player in defensive end Montez Sweat to jump start the unit.

The acquisition quickly paid off with the unit turning the corner and finishing the season as one of the top units in football. However, the front itself still struggled to consistently make an impact, even with Sweat rushing off the edge.

Heading into the 2024 season, the Bears opted not to pursue any top defensive line names on the market and the top names in the draft in favor of developing the talent already on the roster. As a result, the Bears defensive line was ranked among the bottom six in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Here's what the rankings had to say about the team's unit:

"Chicago’s defensive line improved massively with the addition of Montez Sweat, who provided a real and consistent source of pressure after the team traded for him at the deadline. Sweat tallied 64 quarterback pressures last season, but the Bears' defensive line will be determined by the growth in Year 2 of defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens. Dexter flashed playmaking ability as a rookie, but the Bears need more from him in 2024." PFF's Sam Monson

While I agree with the low ranking and the analysis behind it, Monson left off one key piece that will make sure the Bears' front will surprise everyone in 2024. That key difference is the hiring of new defensive coordinator Eric Washington who will play a major part in developing the young players on the front into reliable, impact players.

Second-year defensive tackles Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens are the two players in particular Washington has high expectations for and has already been impressed with the progress they've shown this offseason.

“I want to see polished fundamentals,” Washington said. “I want to see things that I know will allow them to be as disruptive and as efficient with their rush fundamentals as possible. We’re talking footwork, alignment adjustments based on the down and distance, and when we’re in an obvious passing situation. It’s more awareness and just a great coordination of fundamentals that I know that are going to give them a chance to really win that particular rep and down.”

Out of the two, Dexter showed more disruptiveness during his rookie season with the Bears but struggled to do it at a consistent, down-to-down level. However, by the end of the season, Dexter started showing flashes of what he could become.

"You could really see him becoming more and more comfortable because early in the season, like a lot of young players, especially on the line of scrimmage, they're behind because the tempo is just a lot quicker," Washington explained. They're trying to find a way not only to keep up but to find a way to play ahead of the football play. As the reps and the experiences start to accumulate, you saw him starting to impose his will and that affected his technique. I went back and looked at all of the rookie stuff and the individual stuff so that I could have something to measure where he is now against where he is when he first came in, and I'm excited."

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For Dexter, the biggest thing this offseason was coming back to camp in a much better shape than how he left once the 2023 season ended. He took that challenge personally, losing 10 pounds of weight and replacing it with five pounds of lean mass ahead of the offseason program. The change was evident on the field.

"The biggest thing is just how assertive he is," Washington said. "You can tell there's a growing confidence. He's assertive. He believes that he belongs in the lineup, and he believes that he can be a major factor."

As for Pickens, confidence was the biggest thing he aimed to work on this offseason to help prove to himself that he belongs on the team and at the next level. For both players, it's just a matter of "taking the chains off" as their Pro Bowl teammate in the room explained during mandatory minicamp.

Austin Booker, the team's fifth-round pick, is another young player who could look to make a difference off the edge along with veteran DeMarcus Walker, who recorded 3.5 sacks for the Bears' defense last season.

Overall, the national media is right to be discouraged about the state of the Bears' defensive front. But in house, the team believes they have the pieces needed to step up and make a more immediate difference this upcoming season.

"We're going to be a team that generates pressure with our front four," Washington said. "We are going to build the best pass rush in football. That happens to be an area, fortunately, [where] I've had tremendous success."

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