Bears pad D-line, trade for Browns' Williams
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Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff Writer
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears acquired defensive tackle Chris Williams and a 2025 seventh-round pick from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a sixth-round selection Saturday.
Williams is the second defensive addition the Bears have brought in via trade in as many days. They sent a sixth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks on Friday for Darrell Taylor.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus expressed concerns over the team’s depth at defensive tackle after an injury to reserve Zacch Pickens put the second-year tackle’s status for Week 1 in question.
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Williams, 26, spent the first two years of his career in Indianapolis, where Eberflus was the defensive coordinator. Williams then spent time on the practice squads in Kansas City and Cleveland. He appeared in 13 games with the Colts and registered six tackles.
“I was productive then when I was with him, too, and I felt growth every time, every year with him,” Williams said. “I know his scheme is to attack and be fast and use my skillset. Definitely is what I feel comfortable with in this scheme.”
Williams was listed as a fifth-string defensive tackle on Cleveland’s depth chart and was considered a long shot to make the roster. In his final preseason game with the Browns, Williams had two sacks, including one that led to a safety.
The seventh-rounder that Chicago gave to Cleveland was originally acquired in a trade that sent wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Miami Dolphins in October. The Bears now have seven draft selections in 2025: a first, two seconds (one from Carolina), a third, a fifth, a sixth (via Pittsburgh) and a seventh (via Cleveland).
Eberflus also addressed the team’s trade for Taylor, whose skill set he believes provides the Bears with more flexibility on the defensive line.
“I think he brings a different skill set than we have out there in terms of the way he rushes,” Eberflus said of Taylor. “What I like most about him is his motor. He’s got a great motor. He finishes. Needs some refinement at the top of the rush, which, we’ll work on that, but he pursues and does the things, everything that everybody else does in the building that we expect and what we hold guys accountable to.”
The Bears’ quest to find an edge rusher to pair with Pro Bowler Montez Sweat was detailed in the latest episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” Chicago had planned to send a third-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for Matthew Judon but chose not to further its pursuit after not being able to iron out the parameters of an extension with the 32-year-old outside linebacker, who was ultimately traded to the Atlanta Falcons.
In 2023, Taylor appeared in all 17 games for Seattle and logged five starts. He recorded 5.5 sacks, 7 tackles for loss and 8 quarterback hits while playing 44% of the team’s defensive snaps.
When asked whether Taylor projects to get the majority of reps opposite Sweat, Eberflus suggested that the Bears would continue to interchange edge rushers with the starting defensive line.
“I think it will be rotational,” Eberflus said. “I really do. We’ll play that hot hand. I feel really good about all the guys who are out there right now, you know, [Austin] Booker, Dom [Robinson] and [DeMarcus Walker] and all those guys who are playing with Tez on the one side. So we’ll just make it a competition and see who is hot and let them rush.”
ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi contributed to this report.
