On a day that was to be filled with memorials for the fallen military members, the headlines were disgraced with the actions of domestic violence by Chicago Bears defensive lineman Ray McDonald. After being released from the San Francisco 49ers in 2014 for indictment in a sexual assault case, the Chicago Bears had a lack of clarity and signed him anyway nine months later. The Bears organization took a chance on signing McDonald, but did so without any guaranteed money.
Now in the wake of the May 25th domestic violence incident, McDonald has been released by the Chicago Bears and has pretty much thrown his career out the window. The fact of the matter is a pattern of violence plagues McDonald, and the Chicago Bears had to cut him loose.
With McDonald off the roster, the Chicago Bears will need to find the next man up. There are three possibilities on the current roster: Will Sutton, Ego Ferguson, and Eddie Goldman.
1) Will Sutton has just completed his second year with the Chicago Bears and he has the body to get the job done. Smaller in stature, Sutton has the ability to rush the passer in a 4-3 defense. However, Fangio states that his 3-4 defense is similar to the 4-3 and will cater to Sutton’s strengths. Sutton is too small to be a nose tackle, but I believe he has the skills to learn Fangio’s defense and haul in the big fish.
2) Ego Ferguson was in the same draft class as Sutton. At 6’2″ and 315 pounds, he is much more solid than McDonald and he could easily fit in a 3-4 defense. Not much has been seen of him on the field, so it will be exciting to see what he can do and if he can bring the heat.
3) Rookie Eddie Goldman will need to make the most of this opportunity and show that he has strong value as a young drafted player. As an integral part of the 2013 Florida State defense, Goldman has outstanding power in his upper body, can explode out of his stance and can two-gap at the point of attack. I believe if Goldman fights for this position, he may be the one to replace Jeremiah Ratliff.
Honorable Mention: There is one player that can surprise this team and it’s Cornelius Washington. He didn’t have enough playing time last season to show what he can do, but as an edge rusher he can jump off the block and penetrate the B-gap, disrupting plays. Watch him closely in camp and preseason as a threat to Sutton in the 3-4 scheme. He was built for this.
As it stands, it is a fierce competition to see who can perform better than their fellow linemen for the open position McDonald left. If they want to be on the roster, these young men need to mimic the same drive and competitiveness that three-time Pro Bowler J.J. Watt consistently displays. Success is what you make of it, and with a new regime and a sense of urgency, these men will need to step up to the challenge.
It is time for the next man to step up for the Bears defense and revive the Monsters of the Midway.
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