The Eddie Goldman saga hasn’t been nearly as interesting as watching the Aaron Rodgers ridiculousness.
But like the Rodgers drama, the situation in Chicago with Goldman ends with the home team’s fans set to celebrate the return of a popular player:
Roquan Smith said he’s seen Eddie Goldman in Halas Hall.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) July 27, 2021
Bears LB Roquan Smith on seeing Eddie Goldman in the building today: “He looks pretty good."
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) July 27, 2021
Roquan Smith says that Eddie Goldman was one of the first people he saw when a came into the building. (Smith said this with a big smile on his face)
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) July 27, 2021
Of course Roquan Smith has a big smile on his face when seeing Eddie Goldman at Halas Hall. The big nose tackle does a whale of a job keeping offensive linemen out of the second level. And when Goldman is eating up blockers at the point of attack, it allows players like Smith to attack freely. That means more bone-crunching hits, tackles in open space, stops for loss, and other defensive highlights. And you’re right to point out that Smith had his best season while Goldman was sitting out due to COVID concerns. But imagine what type of stats Smith would’ve put up had Goldman been wrecking stuff in the middle. Swoon.
With workout videos recently reaching social media, Goldman has sure been looking like someone who plans on playing in 2021. Being spotted at Halas Hall by teammates only further confirms things. What Goldman needs to do in order to get into game shape remains to be seen. Remember, he hasn’t put on pads for a game since December 2019 after missing last season. So there could still be some bumps in the road coming this summer. But with the depth along the defensive line being what it is, the Bears can slow-play Goldman’s build up without stressing too much. And in the end, hearing that Goldman is reporting for duty is the all-important first step toward the defense getting back to being great again.