If there were ever a time for a young defensive player to make a name for himself, it’s when a rock solid veteran is sidelined with injury. That’s the case this weekend with the Chicago Bears. Potential Hall of Famer Lance Briggs will be out on Sunday with a rib injury. His replacement is still undecided, but two of the options are young players who’ve seen minimal playing time.
Khaseem Greene, the Bears’ fourth-round pick in 2013, is one option. He made his defensive debut last season against the Green Bay Packers in Week 9 because of a Briggs injury as well. The Rutgers product recorded four tackles in that game and finished last season with 38.5 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble.
After a decorated college career, Greene hasn’t proven much in the NFL as of yet. He was a 2012 first-team All-American and the Big East’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Another option is Greene’s draft classmate, Jon Bostic. He has flashed more than Greene in their early careers, but his instincts leave plenty to be desired. He’s been starting at strong-side linebacker with Shea McClellin injured as well. Bostic has 28 tackles on the season.
The last option is the relatively unknown Christian Jones.
Jones, a former Florida State Seminole, was an undrafted free agent, but impressed the hell out of the coaching staff throughout camp. Outside of veterans Briggs and D.J. Williams, Jones showed the best knowledge of the position and is a real option to replace No. 55. He was second-team All-ACC last season in college with 56 tackles with 7.5 tackles for a loss, one interception and two sacks.
Whoever gets the call on Sunday will have their hands full. Atlanta has the third-ranked offense in football and is at their best when playing in the Georgia Dome. With Briggs, the team’s normal signal caller sidelined, it’s likely that Williams takes over that role. I’d expect defensive coordinator Mel Tucker to move Bostic to weak-side and plug in Jones on the strong-side.
Briggs has played well so far this season. He has been flying to the ball with reckless abandon, something 33-year-old linebackers don’t often do. This injury leaves a few big questions. One, who will be the team’s starting linebackers? And two, is this year the end for Briggs? The 12-year veteran and seven-time Pro Bowler is in the last year of his contract, and had a hard time recovering from a shoulder injury last season. For Bears fans’ sakes, this will just be a minor blip in a successful 2014 for Briggs.
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