Here is why the new Bears 3 tech is perfect for the scheme
The Chicago Bears signed Justin Jones to a two-year deal worth $12 million a few months ago. This came right after the news that DL Larry Ogunjobi failed his physical tests and would not be able to sign with the Bears.
Jones is 25. He was drafted by the Chargers in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL draft. After appearing in 15 games during his rookie season, Jones stepped into a starting role along the D-line. He's been the Chargers' best run stopper over the last three years. However, the Chargers did not have a good run defense during that time. Let me tell you this: In games he missed, Chargers opponents had 173 rush yards per game. In games he played, that number goes down to 120 yards per game. Safe to say he wasn't the problem.
In 2021, he played in 11 games, amassed 38,5 tackles, 3 sacks and 5 tackles for loss, and two fumble recoveries.
Here is Eberflus on his pitch to Justin Jones to be the Bears' three-tech:
This means that he believes Jones could play the defensive 3 technique position next season, or at least be a part of the rotation at this spot. A rotation is an interesting scenario because we have seen in the past with the Bears that by playing no more than 80% of the snaps on the interior defensive line, players can play at a higher level of intensity. This also implies that you must have a lot of depth at this position.
After appearing in 15 games during his rookie season, Jones stepped into a starting role along the D-line. He's been the Chargers' best run stopper over the last three years. Even though their defense was not great, this still means something.
In fact, in games he missed, Chargers opponents had 173 rush yards per game. In the games he played, that number went down to 120 yards per game. Safe to say he wasn't the problem.
Jones will most likely be the Bears' 3 technique.
