Chicago Bears: 5 Key players for a successful 2019 season

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images /
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Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images /

Bilal Nichols, Defensive Lineman

Last preseason, there was a battle between Roy Robertson-Harris and Jonathan Bullard to see who played on the line opposite of Akiem Hicks. The winner turned out to be Jonathan Bullard.

Bullard disappointed again, however. He recorded 28 tackles but had no sacks. Robertson-Harris recorded 22 tackles and had three tackles. Surprisingly, rookie Bilal Nichols finished the season with 28 tackles and three sacks. He did that despite starting the season as Hicks’ backup. Down the stretch, he ended up being the primary starter opposite of Hicks.

This preseason, there will probably be a battle again, but this time it will involve Robertson-Harris and Nichols. I believe Nichols will win that battle and have a breakout season. Doing so makes Hicks more dangerous.

Hicks has been fantastic over his three seasons in Chicago. The problem in his first two seasons was that he didn’t have much help so he faded late in the season. In 2018, he didn’t have that problem. That needs to continue in 2019.

With Nichols starting along the line, the Bears have two guys on the end who will receive a lot of attention, freeing up space for the edge rushers to get in. Additionally, they both can get to the quarterbacks in their own right. That means quarterbacks going up against this defense will constantly be under pressure.

Having Robertson-Harris and Bullard play backups helps them as well. They don’t need to worry about putting so much pressure on themselves trying to do too much. They can come in and give Hicks and Nichols a break so they can finish the game (and the season) as fresh as they can.

All of this depends on Nichols building on his 2018 success.