When the Bears ended their preseason slate with a 34-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night, the state of their defensive line was the lead topic of conversation.
The pass rush outside of Montez Sweat has been a big question mark for months, and the lack of depth at defensive tackle has become a serious concern after Zacch Pickens's training camp injury.
As of Thursday night, these were the defensive line names expected to be on the Bears' 53-man roster after Tuesday's cut day: Sweat, DeMarcus Walker, Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, Pickens, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy, and Dominique Robinson.
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Hardy and Robinson have both benefited from Jacob Martin's injury early in camp. Martin flashed to open camp but hurt his ankle/foot on the second day of pads and has not returned. Hardy and Robinson have taken advantage of their opportunities and appeared to be in line to make the roster as the rotational edge rushers and core special teams as of Thursday.
But things change quickly in the NFL, and the Bears' trade to acquire edge rusher Darrell Taylor on Friday should put both Hardy and Robinson in danger of being the first player out when final cuts are made.
Taylor, 27, has recorded 21.5 sacks and 90 pressures over the past three seasons with the Seahawks. He is playing on a one-year, $3.1 million deal he signed this past offseason. While he likely isn't in the Bears' long-term plans, he will be on the roster come Wednesday.
The same likely can't be said for either Hardy or Robinson.
Bears Analysis
If I had to take a guess, I'd say there's a good chance that Taylor's arrival kicks Robinson off the roster. Hardy has impressed during camp, flashed during preseason action, and has proven his value on special teams. While Robinson's body type and length fit what the Bears want on their kickoff unit, the 2022 fifth-round pick hasn't done enough to secure a spot during his two-and-a-half years with the team.
Hardy, meanwhile, has received rave reviews during camp from head coach Matt Eberflus and defensive coordinator Eric Washington.
"It has really stood out," Washington said of Hardy's production on Wednesday. "It has really stood out as far as what we’re asking that position to do, especially from a rush standpoint. He’s been extremely active. The energy has been high. He’s gotten quality wins in critical situations, and his effort has been phenomenal. Everything we start from an evaluation standpoint starts with hustle. And I don’t know anybody that has stood out as much as he has."
Hardy is also a better run defender than Robinson. Given Taylor's struggles against the run (19th worst among edge defenders in 2023), the Bears need a third edge defender they can rely on to play on run downs after Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker.
Per Pro Football Focus, Robinson ranked 127 out of 128 qualified edge rushers (min. 70 snaps) against the run last season.
Robinson's struggles against the run should give Hardy a leg up in the competition for the final edge rushing spot.
The Bears could keep both players, but the need to add another defensive tackle and questions about depth on the offensive line could mean that five edge rushers are enough for the Bears.
General manager Ryan Poles is still putting the defensive line puzzle together, but Friday's acquisition of Taylor puts Robinson on thin ice after two-and-a-half years of development that has produced little results.