The Chicago Bears have spent a lot of time and energy (and money) building up their offense, to the point where it’s a completely reconstructed entity– complete with a new coaching staff.
The addition of blue chip quarterback Caleb Williams, top prospect wide receiver Rome Odunze, as well as veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen and running back D’Andre Swift have given the team a whole new look on offense.
As for defense, though? Not a lot has been done.
Admittedly, not much was needed on a defense that started the year slow, but played as a Top 10 unit by season’s end, led by incoming defensive end Montez Sweat, who the Bears acquired at the trade deadline.
But, even with the team doing well on defense, there were still holes to fill and, unfortunately, not a whole lot of money to work with anymore.
Chicago Bears Add A Linebacker
The past few days, though, the Bears added one defensive asset at a bargain prices– an addition that may prove to be a bigger move than what it appeared to be at the moment.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Chicago had signed linebacker Javin White.
The 27-year-old White had spent the entire 2022 season on the Bears’ injured reserve list while recovering from a torn ACL. He then spent the 2023 season as a free agent. He would later move on to the UFL to stay active.
In the UFL, he turned heads with some outstanding play that suggest he was, perhaps, fully recovered from his career-threatening injury.
As a member of the Michigan Panthers, the former UNLV star finished the 2024 season with 40 tackles, three TFL’s, and two sacks. Working his way up from special teams, White became an impact player as a starter and led the team to postseason play. Although the Panthers didn’t make it past the first playoff game, White was a star of the show with seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, two TFL’s, and an interception, almost single-handedly carrying the team at times.
Prior to his injury, White played with the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets. His actual NFL experience is limited to just six games from 2020 to 2021.
A Dogged Overachiever
At this point, White is viewed as a bit of an overachiever who kept pushing forward with his career, when it would’ve been easier to just shut things down and look elsewhere for work. As an undrafted college talent in 2020, he worked his way into the NFL through hard work and a spark that teams recognized as potentially something special. His UFL run and Bears tryout performances impressed to the point where he’s getting another shot in the big leagues.
His entrance, however, may also be, at least in part, a matter of being in the right place at the right time as Chicago is a bit hobbled at linebacker due to injury and, aside from that, already suffered from some depth issues.
The injury of veteran linebacker T.J. Edwards and his inability to play in practice has opened a spot on the roster for someone young, fresh, and healthy. If White’s health can hold out, he could get a shot at doing some big things. White’s fellow Panthers’ linebacker Noah Dawkins was also invited by Chicago for a tryout, but didn’t make the cut.
In a worst case scenario, White may be plugged into special teams– a role he excelled at when playing with the Michigan Panthers.
One thing is for certain, though. The Bears clearly need some depth pieces, especially on defense where , for the most part, the same team that came off the field last season will be coming back this season.
