It had been apparent all along slot cornerback Kyler Gordon would get a contract extension, but unclear if linebacker T.J. Edwards would because of the new staff.
That is, it was unclear until he got a deal for $10 million a year over two years.
The player who didn't get the new contract is the real one of real interest now because it could indicate where the Bears will go at some point in the draft next week. That would be former Bears linebacker and current Cowboys linebacker Jack Sanborn.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was asked Thursday about why they didn't also bring back Sanborn.
"I think one of the things that we need to do on our defense is I think we need to increase our team speed and athleticism," Allen said.
It was a frequent knock on Sanborn that he gave everything he had and had great instinct but lacked athleticism.
"We got good size, but I think we can get a little bit more athletic and play the game at a little bit higher speed," Allen said. "I think that’s something we need to do.
"So I think that’s what we’re looking for. Look, this is at a different position, but even Grady Jarrett at defensive tackle increases our team speed."
The only linebacker the Bears had in for a reported 30 visit was Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin. The 5-foot-11 1/2, 221-pound undersized player is a tremendous athlete, if nothing else.
Martin is regarded by analysts as a Day 3 pick but had a 40 time of 4.53 seconds, the fifth fastest among linebackers. He also had a 1.54-second 10-yard split, a 38-inch vertical leap, a 10-foot-3 broad jump and a very solid 26 reps in the bench press.
The linebacker group is not spectacular in any way shape or form and Pro Football Focus sees Auburn's Demetrius Knight and UCLA's Carson Schwesinger as middle to late second-round types. It seems rather unlikely the Bears would come after this position so early in the draft with offensive line, defensive line, safety and running back all more pressing needs.
Later in the draft, players like Auburn's Eugene Asante and Oklahoma's Danny Stutsman could be of interest. Stutsman, who is 6-3, 240, ran the combine's fourth-fastest linebacker 40 time of 4.52. Asante ran a phenomenal 4.48, the second fastest, and is 6-foot-1/2, 223. He did 21 reps in the bench.
Both he and Asante are graded by PFF in the fourth-to-fith-round range but with the speed they showed the fourth round would seem more likely.
Whoever they settle on as an addition to compete with Noah Sewell and Amen Ogbongbemiga for playing time on the strong side, there is a certainty about the type of player they'll seek at linebacker and any position on defense
"Tough, nasty, hyper-competitive, play with a swagger, play with a chip on their shoulder," Allen said. "I think that's kind of been a hallmark of the best defenses that I've been around. I think that's been a hallmark of a lot of great defenses that have been here in Chicago. I think that's what we're looking for."
