I’ll say this about Ryan Pace’s tenure in Chicago: He and his staff sure know how to unearth defensive gems. And while this front office hasn’t done much to inspire hope that a fix for the offense is around the corner, you can almost bank on the Bears finding some unexpected contributors on the defensive side of the ball.
Keep that in mind when assessing the signing of free agent defensive lineman Angelo Blackson.
Previous: Andy Dalton, Desmond Trufant, Elijah Wilkinson
Player, Age (in 2021), Position
Angelo Sierre Blackson, 28, defensive tackle
Contract: 2 years, $5.5 million ($3 million in guarantees)
Contract details via OverTheCap.com
Measurables
6-4, 319 pounds
Performance
2020 stats: 16 games, (9 starts), 2.5 sacks, 24 total tackles (15 solo), 4 tackles-for-loss, 8 quarterback hits
Career stats: 85 games (30 starts), 6.0 sacks, 5 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 101 tackles (64 solo), 11 tackles-for-loss, 17 quarterback hits
PFF grades: 55.1 (2020), 43.9 (2019), 58.7 (2018), 64.3 (2017), 50.4 (2016), 58.2 (2015)
Highlights
Sharing a clip from @thecheckdown featuring new Bears DL Angelo Blackson sacking Russell Wilson for no specific reason. pic.twitter.com/MAqyQPzVJH
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) March 18, 2021
Texans block the kick. Angelo Blackson, looked like. pic.twitter.com/aW3myLdvOc
— Rivers McCown (@riversmccown) December 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/SNFonNBC/status/1208454544071352321
Watching the game-deciding two-point conversion attempt from this angle, looks like Angelo Blackson, DJ Reader and Zach Cunningham all plugged up the hole, leaving Leonard Fournette to spin into Justin Reid. pic.twitter.com/fzdwDukS3W
— Aaron Reiss (@aaronjreiss) September 17, 2019
The Art of Blocking Kicks
For as long as I can remember, the Bears’ special teams unit has been among the best at blocking kick. And while I’ll admit there’s some luck that goes into blocking kicks, there’s also a good amount of effort and skill that goes into it. So here’s some perspective from someone who’s done it a few times:
The Fit
Chicago’s defensive line is an area in flux. Roy Robertson-Harris left for Jacksonville and a large contract. Brent Urban is taking his talents to Dallas. Akiem Hicks reportedly spent a brief amount of time on the trade block, but wasn’t dealt. Eddie Goldman’s return is expected, but he didn’t play last year because he sat out due to COVID concerns. So, at some point, the Bears needed to add a body to the room. And that’s where Blackson comes into play.
I can imagine the Bears using Blackson like the Cardinals did last season. He’ll play about 50 percent of the snaps, eat up space at the line of scrimmage next to Hicks and Goldman, and likely rotate with Bilal Nichols, and some other defender who emerges at some point. Blackson is on a two-year deal, so he should get a fair amount of opportunities to flash if he gets to play alongside talented defenders over the lifetime of his contract.