Bucky Brooks missed the mark with his ranking of Chicago Bears defensive triplets
Bucky Brooks is wrong, the Chicago Bears have the best group of defensive triplets in the NFL.
The Chicago Bears have an incredible defensive unit that will likely lead them to becoming legitimate Super Bowl contenders in 2019. They have fantastic talent at all levels of the defense and are set up to be arguably the best defense in the entire NFL this season.
That being said, I think that the Bears are being underrated in a recent piece by Bucky Brooks of NFL.com. Brooks ranked the top defensive triplets in the entire NFL. First, an explination of defensive triplets:
"“Defensive triplets feature a combination of three standouts from multiple levels of the unit,” Brooks wrote. “Whether it be a pass rusher, linebacker and defensive back, or a couple of pass rushers and a designated playmaker in the back seven.”"
Obviously there are many teams who boast impressive defensive triplets. Brooks tops his list with the Los Angeles Chargers (Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram and Derwin James) followed by the Dallas Cowboys (Demarcus Lawrence, Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch). Coming in at number three were the Chicago Bears.
Brooks has defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, edge rusher Khalil Mack and safety Eddie Jackson as the Bears’ defensive triplets, which is the right grouping of players. However, with all due respect to Brooks, he missed the mark here. Hicks, Mack and Jackson come together to form the best defensive trio in the entire NFL.
Mack is widely considered to be one of the best edge rushers in the entire NFL. He is a freak off of the edge, absolutely dominating as both a pass rusher and against the run. Jackson is also widely respected around the league, quickly growing into one of the best coverage safeties in the NFL. Both Jackson and Mack were selected as First-Team All-Pro players last season.
The only player in this Chicago Bears trio who does not get the proper respect is Hicks. A big and powerful interior defensive lineman, Hicks can absolutely dominate at the point of attack. He is also quick and athletic for a man of his size. Simply put, Hicks is dominant against the run and can shine as a pass rusher. He is among the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL and should not be considered the weak link of this trio.
Next. 2019 NFL Draft grades and analysis for all 32 teams. dark
With all due respect to the other teams in the NFL, no group of defensive triplets can touch the Bears’ trio of Hicks, Mack and Jackson. They should have been number one on this list with a bullet.