Chicago Bears: Lewis Making His Case For A Roster Spot

There weren’t many many who thought defensive end Terrell Lewis would make the team. His performance in training camp and two preseason games, however, is changing that thinking.

Last season, the Chicago Bears were horrible at rushing the quarterback. Any metric you looked at, the pass rush was just nonexistent.

General manager Ryan Poles wanted to change that. He added DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green via free agency. When it looked as if the defense still needed more help he signed Yannick Ngakoue.

The Ngakoue signing brought hope to the fans. With him and Walker as starters, and Green, Trevis Gipson, and Dominique Robinson, it was an improvement.

Another player Poles signed who did not make headlines was Terrell Lewis.

Lewis was the Los Angeles Rams’ third-round pick in 2020. He played in a reserve role there. He played in 30 games, starting 7 of them. Poles signed Lewis and placed him on the practice squad late last season after the Rams waived him. Poles really liked him and signed him to the regular roster before the season ended.

There was good reason for Poles to like him. Defensive line coach Travis Smith saw it as well when he first saw Lewis.

If you look at him, the No. 1 thing is get-off. It’s not just about get-off, it’s also about playing with relentless effort for 5 to 45 snaps. It’s also about setting the edge. There’s a lot more to it than just the get-off. And so, I think with him being in our system now, where he’s been here through OTAs, phase one, phase two, phase three, training camp, now you’re seeing it all kind of come together.

Injuries prevent Lewis from fulfilling potential

The Rams were high on Lewis when they drafted him. He won a title with the Alabama Crimson Tide when he was in college. He also won a title with the Rams. However, injuries kept him from fulfilling his potential.

He suffered a torn ACL while at Alabama. Additionally, he missed half of his rookie season due to injury.

Lewis wants to show that he is over his injury troubles and ready to be a contributor. Poles decided to take a chance on him, seeing a low-cost, high-reward player.

Lewis is an unlikely star in preseason

Now Lewis is making Poles feel great about the signing. In training camp, he’s been playing well. Also, he’s been a runaway star for the defense so far in the Bears’ two preseason games.

In those games, Lewis has 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and a tackle for loss. He has consistently harassed the opposing quarterback and showed the explosive first step and relentlessness that Poles loved.

Lewis is making it difficult for the Bears to cut him. He has played too well. Of course, he has one more chance to show in a game that he deserves a roster spot.

The thing is whether the Bears go with six defensive ends. That would give the defense 10 defensive linemen. With other holes on the roster, would the Bears add an extra defensive lineman?

That possibility is real. As bad as the pass rush was last season, perhaps the Bears want as many pass rushers to see which ones stick. If the players do a fairly good job the defense could continually send a wave of rushers who could wreak havoc on quarterbacks.

It could be a situation in which the pass rushers end up wearing down opposing offensive linemen.

Poles could be building up a young, athletic edge rushing group. Ngakoue is the oldest one at 28 years old. The rest are between 24 and 26 years old. Ngakoue is likely just a bridge player to either a draft choice or an elite free agent.

If Lewis continues to play well and makes the team Poles may have himself another steal. His rebuild plan could look very good and become even better with the future draft picks in his pocket.