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Chicago Bears: Do they have the next good linebacker duo?

By Carlos Nazario

ATHENS, GA - NOVEMBER 4: A. J. Turner #25 of the South Carolina Gamecocks is tackled by Roquan Smith #3 of the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GA - NOVEMBER 4: A. J. Turner #25 of the South Carolina Gamecocks is tackled by Roquan Smith #3 of the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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The Chicago Bears have struggled to find another duo as great as Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. Do they now have it on the current roster?

While the Chicago Bears offense struggled throughout the 2017 season, the defense finished as a top-ten defense. After the firing of head coach John Fox, some people speculated that perhaps defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would take over the head coaching duties. He, however, didn’t even interview for the job.

Because of that, many figured that Fangio was on his way out.

After weeks of silence and fear of his exit, Fangio and the Bears finally came to an agreement and he stayed in Chicago. Players and fans alike let out a sigh of relief. The same coaching staff returns to work its magic on a defense thin at depth and ravaged by injuries.

Not only did Fangio and his staff come back, they also received some added talent. Roquan Smith was the Bears’ first-round pick (eighth overall) and they picked defense in the fourth through sixth rounds. Additionally, they added Aaron Lynch as an edge rusher and re-signed Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara to maintain some continuity in the backfield.

One place where the Bears really want to improve is at linebacker. The franchise is known for its linebackers. Also, they had a tremendous linebacker duo a few years back in Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. Those two wreaked havoc on opposing offenses for years. After Urlacher retired in 2012, the team struggled to find a duo to effectively work together.

Looking at this roster, have the Bears possibly found a good duo? Well, they have half of a great duo in Smith. Barring injuries, he looks to be a multiple Pro Bowl linebacker. Teaming him up with Danny Trevathan will certainly make waves for the defense.

In 21 games for the Chicago Bears, Trevathan has 155 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception. Add to that three sacks as well. So is the Trevathan/Smith combo the one the Bears searched for in the past half-decade?

Well…

I think they’ll do well. Trevathan will be a great mentor for Smith. They’ll work together well. The problem I have with this duo is Trevathan’s injury history. He played well in those 21 games, but that also means he missed 11 others. That total is over 34 percent of the total games played.

The more intriguing duo I’m looking at is Smith with Joel Iyiegbuniwe. I’ve seen a lot of his film and he looks better every time I see him. I think Iyiegbuniwe plays in a rotation and probably plays a lot at outside linebacker, but I feel he’ll eventually go inside. He’ll do well inside, too. He has good speed and athleticism. He has long arms and big hands which help him to take a good swipe at a ball carrier.

Next: 5 Burning questions for the Bears after a busy offseason

Iyiegbuniwe needs a season or two to get his body right and to learn to play the position at the higher level. I think, though, he can do it and eventually team up with Smith and give the Bears another duo to lead the defense.

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