After a notably poor Week 1 performance, the Bears defense has suddenly shown some life.
Since the start of the 3rd quarter in Week 1, the Bears have allowed a very respectable 29 points across 10 total quarters. Meanwhile, they have proven that the turnover trend from last year was not a fluke, as they currently have 3 fumble recoveries to go along with 3 INTs, giving them a +4 turnover differential.
Still, the defense has remained imperfect. Saquon Barkley ran for 5.5 yards per carry on Monday night.
Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson are still giving up big plays too often (though rookie Malik Muhammad appears to be trending towards a full-time starter across from JJ). The defense is trending up, but remains a work in progress.
Enter the Jets in week 4. While the Jets still aren’t contenders, they have some legitimate studs who need to get the attention of Ben Johnson and co. The one guy that has me most nervous is rookie tight end, Kenyon Sadiq.
Sadiq, the 16th overall pick in the 2026 draft, is an undersized TE that plays more like a bulked-up WR. Standing at 6’-3” and 241 lbs, Sadiq ran a ridiculous 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine and has already shown that his speed translates to the field.
Last week, Sadiq torched the Lions to the tune of 7 receptions for 105 and a TD. Most impressive was his contested TD reception, shown in the second clip of this tweet:
As you can see, Sadiq plays like his hair is on fire and can beat you with speed or run straight through you. For a team that might be without Breece Hall, you can expect a heavy dose of Kenyon Sadiq to keep the short and intermediate game going for Geno Smith.
Who might be lined up against him? My guess is that Devin Bush will find himself in zone coverage and in the same area as Sadiq often. Bush, a significant offseason signing by Ryan Poles, has been relatively quiet through three games with 8 solo tackles, 2 TFLs, and 1 PD. He’s not invisible, but he hasn’t gotten in on many impact plays either.
Bush was signed to be a replacement for the departed Tremaine Edmunds to bring additional speed (4.42 40 time) and coverage chops at the position, and with a player like Sadiq ascending, and the loss of a versatile piece in Cam Lewis, the Bears will rely on Bush to make an impact in coverage and keep up with Sadiq.
If the Bears shut down Sadiq, and with Breece Hall sidelined, I’d expect Geno Smith to struggle to find consistency against the Bears’ defense.
