Chicago Bears: Khalil Mack, 5 takeaways from Chuck Pagano’s press conference

2. Hicks is the key to the defense

Hicks is a big part of the defense. He’s played well ever since the Chicago Bears picked him up as a free agent in 2016. He should have had a couple of Pro Bowls but didn’t get to play in his first until 2018 (funny how playing on a winning team makes you a better player).

Hicks hoped to build on that Pro Bowl appearance in 2019 but he suffered a gruesome elbow injury that cost him 11 games. That injury really hurt the Bears defense.

Hicks is the heart and soul of the Chicago Bears defense. He is a load to handle and when he’s healthy and playing to his ability he makes everyone else’s job easier. Opposing offenses need to account for him, sometimes needing to send double teams. When that happens, Mack and Quinn will have more space to operate.

When Hicks gets to the opponent’s backfield, he gets the job down even if he doesn’t get a tackle. He can get in and flushes out the running back or the quarterback. They end up trying to go around Hicks which leads them to the elite outside linebackers. He could also flush them back inside where the talented Trevathan and Smith end up making the play.

Pagano understands how important Hicks is to this defense, per the team’s official website:

"You can’t replace him. Certainly, we’re different when he’s out there playing at a high level than when he’s not. In the meeting room and around our guys, he’s a wise, wise man. He knows what’s going on. When he speaks, people listen… He’s got a ton of wisdom, and the great thing about him is that he’ll share it."

Hicks is healthy again and ready to get back to being the great player he was before the injury. The defense needs him to be that player if they want to go to the great heights that other Chicago Bears defenses attained.