Jordan van den Berg's name was on the tip of every Bears fan's tongue through the final two preseason games but his impact could be much less than imagined once the season begins.
It's not because the Bears think he lacks talent, but rather because they think there are other potentially productive players ahead of him on the depth chart, and also because what they'll ask him to do could lead to less production from a rookie.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen on Wednesday named someone besides van den Berg as the most impressive defensive tackle of training camp. It was Kentavius Street, who is also a backup.
"Quite honestly, I think he was the most-productive tackle we had throughout the course of training camp," Allen said. "He's got the suddenness and the explosiveness off the ball that we're looking for to create penetration and disrupt the line of scrimmage."
Street had a bit of a head start in learning the scheme because he played in it in 2022 with the Saints, making 29 tackles that year including five for loss, with 3 1/2 sacks, over a full season as a backup.
