Bears mailbag: How can T.J. Edwards, Kyler Gordon help the run defense?

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This week presented a potentially tricky scenario for Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson in terms of pregame motivation tactics.

Last year was last year. Johnson wasn’t here. This is a new staff and a new team. There’s no reason for him to shoulder the burden of the Hail Mary that began the avalanche for the 2024 Bears.

Then again, how can players walk into Northwest Stadium on Monday night and not let what happened cross their minds?

A few questions in this week’s mailbag focused on the narratives surrounding the Bears’ return to Landover, Md. I highly recommend colleague Dan Wiederer’s story on Tyrique Stevenson as you get ready for the Monday night matchup.

Johnson, predictably, had little to say publicly about what this game might mean.

“​​You’d have to talk to those guys about it,” he said Tuesday. “We’re a new team. Just focused on winning this game this week.”

Would Johnson want returning players to use the 2024 loss as fuel, or would he want to ignore it completely? What’s the best leadership strategy? In the past two games, he’s found a way to tap into the locker room. He also probably knows the potential detriment of making a game bigger than it is.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, ahead of his second NFL game near his hometown, isn’t forgetting what happened last season.

“Does it still sting? Obviously you don’t want to lose, especially in that fashion of a Hail Mary,” he said Wednesday. “So does it bother me? I’m not going to speak for everybody else. Does it bother me? Yeah, in the sense that I want to go out there and I want to win every single game that I’ve got.”

He added, “This team is different than last year. The coaching obviously is different. A bunch of things are different. So being able to focus on us and be able to lead these guys the way they need to be led.”

The players won’t be watching the ABC coverage, which will certainly air the Hail Mary several times. They’ll be in it, and it’ll be their next game. But it is in prime time. It is against last year’s NFC runner-up. They shouldn’t need much more motivation than that.

Now, on to your questions.

How much difference in the run defense do you expect getting T.J. Edwards back will make? — Glen S.

Last season, Edwards led the team with five “run stuffs,” per TruMedia, tackles for exactly no gain. He also led the team with 12 tackles for loss. Linebacker Noah Sewell has done a solid job in place of Edwards, and the veteran’s return should help in part because it’ll allow defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to be more comfortable with a base defense that has Sewell on the field. Edwards has great instincts and is a solid run defender, but the Bears still need their defensive line to do their job shedding blocks, too.

One of the two players tied for second last season with four stuffs for no yards? Nickel corner Kyler Gordon, who is also returning on Monday night.

“I’ve got a lot of experience being on the opposing sideline from him and (have) a ton of respect for how he can impact a game,” Johnson said. “There’s only a handful of nickels in this league that you really have to account for, both as a coverage player but also as a guy who likes to be nosy in the run game and could be part of the solution for us here in shoring up our run game as well. He’s got those natural football instincts that are really hard to coach and hard to teach, and when you have enough players like that, that’s where you really take off in a hurry.”

The best thing for the run defense is getting Edwards and Gordon back, not to mention a bye week to self-scout the issues. But this is not a great matchup nor an ideal opportunity to completely fix what’s gone wrong. Washington averages a league-high 5.88 yards per rush.

What are you hearing about the DL, specifically Shemar Turner (who did play Week 4) and Austin Booker? Those guys are important Poles draftees. — V W.

Turner played 15 snaps against the Raiders and made a key tackle for loss on running back Ashton Jeanty when the Raiders got to the Bears’ 8-yard line. Six of his snaps came on third or fourth down, showing that the coaching staff has confidence in him. He should keep getting better the more reps he gets. It’s noteworthy, too, that the Bears had him up as the backup defensive tackle and made Chris Williams inactive for the Raiders game. As a second-round pick, it’s important for Turner to show pass-rush production as the season goes along.

Booker returned to practice this week after spending the first month of the season on injured reserve. We’ll see if he’s ready to play on Monday, even in a limited role, to boost the pass rush.

“(Booker) was a guy that was able to affect the quarterback,” Johnson said. “That’s something that we talked about as a unit here today. Points of emphasis, where can we improve. Obviously it’s the penalties, it’s the run game, but affecting the quarterback, we’re not doing a good enough job of it. That’s really where I saw Booker making the biggest impact there in the preseason.”

Booker had only 1.5 sacks and four QB hits last season as a rookie. He was a star in the preseason, and considering the team’s inability to get to the opposing quarterback, his return should only help.

When it comes to the Bears’ run game, I think 31st in the league, where is the offensive line having difficulties? I know Johnson attributes some of the issues to TE and WR blocking misses, but outside of those positions, where is the line weakest? Interior or tackles? Or maybe “it’s all a problem”? — Annie P.

John Fox is right on this one. When the run game is struggling this much, it’s multifaceted. It’s all a problem, but it still starts up front.

“​​I think it’s hard to evaluate any of our running backs right now, when you turn on the tape and there’s some free runners in the hole where the play is designed to go,” Johnson said. “And so, like I said last week, I take it personally, because I actually spend more time on the run game than I do on the passing game.”

The Bears are averaging 3.79 yards per carry (26th). Washington is allowing 4.03 yards per carry (10th). D’Andre Swift is 32nd in total rushing yards (187).

Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle was asked Friday what the run game should look like.

“I think the first thing is you’re running off the ball up front with the O-line,” he said. “So, they’re coming out of their stance flying, you’re using the cadence as an advantage, your O-line and tight ends are working in combinations together, and they’re communicating well. You’re seeing the backs press their landmarks, they’re able to read their keys, they’re able to put the ball where really the defenders aren’t, and you’re trying to get that ball to the third level of the defense as often as you can on to that free player.”

We’ll see if Theo Benedet getting the start at left tackle makes an impact. The coaches like his run blocking. How much will the bye-week emphasis on the run game matter? It can’t be worse than the first half against Las Vegas. The coaching staff is starting its critique with the offensive line, but the whole unit needs to operate better to get the run game going.

Which of our tackles would project well as guards in terms of physical statistics and skill set? Would love to find a long-term solution at right guard as I don’t think we have found even a medium-term solution in Jonah Jackson. — Nancy K.

After receiving a few questions about Jackson, I surmise that his PFF grade is low. He does have four penalties this season, which isn’t good, but I don’t think his play is anywhere near the “bench the $17 million player” territory. However, to the question about future options, if Kiran Amegadjie can get (and stay) healthy, I’d be curious what he can do at guard. That’s a big “if” based on how his career has gone, but the Bears started using him there late in the summer and liked what they saw. And then there’s rookie Luke Newman, who impressed in camp and the preseason and can play center. Those two stand out to me more than asking any of the current tackles to move inside.

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels tries to allude Bears defensive back Josh Blackwell last October. (Greg Fiume / Getty Images)

Bears-Commanders fun facts

• Washington leads the overall series 28-25-1. That includes seven postseason matchups.

• The Bears are 4-15 in the series since 1989 but have won two of four — both in Landover, Md.

• The teams are meeting for the fourth consecutive season, which hasn’t happened in the series since 1988-1991.

• The Bears are 34-45 all time on “Monday Night Football” and 17-28 on the road. They are 3-3 in their past six road MNF games, with one of those wins coming at Washington (2019).

• Per my colleague Nicki Jhabvala, this is the first time since 1996-97 that the same quarterbacks will face each other in consecutive games in this series. The last Bears and Commanders QB matchup in back-to-back meetings?  Erik Kramer vs. Gus Frerotte.

• Commanders punter Tress Way spent the 2014 training camp and first two preseason games with the Bears. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler who will play in his 185th game for Washington on Monday night. The punter who beat him for the job in ’14, Pat O’Donnell, signed with Arizona on Friday. They may be the only two Phil Emery Bears acquisitions still in the league.

Game picks: Bears (+4.5) at Commanders, 7:15 p.m. CT on ABC

Kevin Fishbain: Commanders 26, Bears 22

(4-0 straight up, 3-1 against the spread)

We tend to overstate intangibles, but I do think the Bears might have had a breakthrough with that win over the Raiders. Johnson wants to establish a culture where winning is the norm, and the Bears come out on top in back-and-forth affairs more often than not. That could buoy this group to cover the spread, but I’m not ready to pick them to upset a playoff team on the road in prime time when their run defense just hasn’t shown nearly enough.

Dan Wiederer: Bears 24, Commanders 23

(3-1, 3-1)

Before the season, I stamped this game with signature victory potential for the Bears. And while the matchup isn’t ideal — particularly with Washington’s high-powered rushing attack testing a notably deficient Chicago run defense — consider this a vote of confidence in Johnson’s ability to get his team reset and refocused and in the locker room’s push to create new purpose out of their recent triumph in Las Vegas. I won’t begin to guess what the game’s final play will look like. But this forecast calls for another nerve-testing win.

Dan Pompei: Commanders 30, Bears 27

(3-1, 3-1)

If the run game has anything to do with football, the Commanders should win easily. They have the best run game in the league; the Bears have the second-worst run defense. The Commanders are likely to have a significant time of possession advantage, which could lead the Bears to scheme, hope and pray for big plays.

Jon Greenberg: Commanders 27, Bears 24

(2-2, 1-3)

No last-second drama, Stevenson won’t have to explain this game to his kids. Just a tight game in suburban Maryland, but still a loss. I’m curious to see what kind of rhythm Williams plays with after a bye week.

Nicki Jhabvala (Commanders beat writer): Commanders 35, Bears 27

There will be no sequel to the Hail Mary. The Commanders are 9-2 at Northwest Stadium over the last two seasons — it’s almost like a real home-field advantage! — after winning their first two at home this season. But the offense that made history last year against the Bears is still working out some kinks to rediscover its identity. Lucky for Washington, it has an emerging star running back who is coming off his first 100-yard rushing game and is hungry for more. I’m taking Washington in this one, with Jacory Croskey-Merritt — better known to some as “Bill” — leading the way.

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