Why Bears believe they can unlock Darrell Taylor with plan to allow him to ‘flourish’ in Chicago originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — On the surface, Darrell Taylor and the Bears appear to be a match. Head coach Matt Eberflus’ defense needs a reliable rotational edge rusher, and the 27-year-old Taylor needs a fresh start after things fizzled out with the Seattle Seahawks.
After missing the 2020 season due to a leg injury, Taylor notched 21.5 sacks and 90 pressures in Seattle over his past three seasons. However, the Tennessee product slid down new head coach Mike Macdonald’s depth chart and was in danger of being cut after camp.
The Bears identified Taylor’s skillset as one that would fit well in Eberflus’ defense and, on Friday, sent Seattle a 2025 sixth-round pick for the edge rusher.
Now back in an even-front defense that asks its edge rushers to play the nine- and five-techniques, the Bears are confident they will raise Taylor’s ceiling.
“Really good edge guy,” Eberflus said of Taylor on Saturday at Halas Hall. “He’s had good sack production. We feel good about that. I think he brings a different skill set than we have out there in terms of the way he rushes. What I like most about him is his motor. He’s got a great motor. He finishes. Needs some refinement at the top of the rush, which we’ll work on that, but he pursues and does the things, everything that everybody else does in the building that we expect and what we hold guys accountable to.
“We don’t bring guys in here that don’t like to play hard. It’s important that we watch the tape and we have guys that have our DNA to start and then we can take them to the next level once they get here.”
That belief is that Taylor will reach the next level now that he can focus on sticking his hand in the dirt and getting after the quarterback.
“Those guys always make good defensive ends in our system,” Eberflus said of players transitioning from an odd front outside linebacker to an even front…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-bears-believe-unlock-darrell-212809718.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2024-08-24 21:28:09
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