Chicago Bears Add To The Defensive Line, Sign Billings

The Chicago Bears’ impactful offseason continues. General manager Ryan Poles adds help to the defensive line by signing defensive tackle Andrew Billings.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles continues to overhaul the roster this offseason. The team that he fields in 2023 will be leaps and bounds different from the 3-14 version from 2022.

After trading the number one pick for additional picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore, Poles went out and hit free agency hard. He added linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds. He also signed offensive lineman Nate Davis, defensive end DeMarcus Walker, quarterback P.J. Walker, and running back Travis Homer.

Poles continued the signings on the second official day of free agency. He signed defensive tackle Andrew Billings. The deal is for one year at $3.5 million, with $2.4 million guaranteed.

Billings was the Cincinnati Bengals’ fourth-round pick in 2016. He also played a season with the Cleveland Browns and last season played for the Las Vegas Raiders. He recorded a career-high 39 tackles, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and a sack.

The 6-foot-1, 330-pound Billings adds beef to the Chicago Bears defensive front. He adds a lot of help to the run defense. The Bears ranked 31st in rushing yards allowed and dead last in rushing touchdowns allowed. Billings will clog up the middle and stuff ball carriers. Opponents will have a harder time gashing the middle of the defensive line.

Billings and Walker help improve the defensive line. Poles understands that the Bears struggled in the trenches and is doing his best to improve there. While he added Davis for the offensive line, he likely adds another one to help. Additionally, he should also find help at defensive line in the draft. Seeing that Billings has just a one-year deal, Poles and the Chicago Bears might use the ninth overall pick on a defensive tackle.

Billings projects to be a rotational player. While he is a very good run stuffer he doesn’t provide a lot against the pass. He only has 4.5 career sacks. He can still play some meaningful snaps, however.

This isn’t a flashy signing but is a solid one. Despite not knowing who the starter will be yet, with Billings they will have good depth.

So far Poles has done a very good job in improving the roster. He made solid improvements at wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, and special teams. Additionally, he turned the linebackers unit into one of the toughest in the NFL now.

Poles has now added eight players to the roster. Including the players who played in Chicago in 2022 that he resigned, he still has about $40.2 million in salary cap space he could still use.

Poles had a plan to rebuild the Chicago Bears and turn them into a consistent contender. Despite the fans’ frustrations last season, he stuck to the plan. That discipline is now paying off. Strap on and continue to go along for the ride. The roster is already so much improved and there is still plenty of free agency time left. Then there is the draft coming up in April. It looks like we are entering a new era of Chicago Bears football.