The Bears have always had great linebackers no matter how good or how bad they have been.  As Bears fans we remember such players as Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Doug Buffone, among others, as being some of the best linebackers in Bears history.  Chicago currently has a strong group of linebackers and as long as this group can stay healthy, the Bears should have no problem at the position in 2010.

Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher is coming off an injury that kept him out of almost all of last season which means he will be very healthy and ready to go.  Chicago needs him back in the lineup not only because of his solid play but also because of his leadership on defense.  The Bears defense should be much better with him in the lineup in 2010.

Pro Bowler Lance Briggs is back and ready to go for another season with the team.  In 2009, Briggs missed just one game and registered 118 total tackles with 93 solo and 25 assisted.  Briggs also had two and a half sacks, five passes defended and one interception. 

Briggs was a constant on the team last year minus the one game he missed due to injury and will remain so in 2010.  He only gets better as his career progresses and the Bears need that kind of steady talent in the group.  He should be able to have another Pro Bowl season in Chicago providing he can stay healthy.

Hunter Hillenmeyer-Is this the year that the Bears don’t keep Hillenmeyer?  If they did let him go it could be a big mistake.  Hillenmeyer has a ton of experience in the Bear’s defense and is an asset to the team.  In 2009, Hillenmeyer played in a total of 14 games starting 13 and had a total of 90 tackles with 65 solo and 25 assisted. Hillenmeyer also had two and a half sacks, five defended passes, one interception and four forced fumbles.

Hillenmeyer is always on the bubble it seems but the Bears keep bringing him back and they don’t regret it in the end.  He stepped in and played pretty well in 2009 after Urlacher went out for the year with an injury and although he had injury problems of his own and missed some time.  Look for the Bears to bring Hillenmeyer back again this season as he will most likely be relegated to backup duty but could help them out on special teams and step in and start if someone get’s injured.

Pisa Tinoisamoa didn’t have a great first season with the Bears but should be able to come back in 2010 and help shore up the defense by providing them a quality player at one of the more important positions on the team.  All together, Tinoisamoa played in just two games for the Bears in 2009 registering a total of four solo tackles and one forced fumble.

It’s good that the Bears had a lot of depth at the linebacker position because they really didn’t miss not having Tinoisamoa there.  He will be welcomed back with open arms however and will most likely win the starting job opposite Briggs as long as he can stay healthy and fed off both Roach and Hillenmeyer who have just as good a chance at winning the starting job as Tinoisamoa does.

Kevin Malast is going to end up being a reserve linebacker this season and has as good a chance as any of the reserves to make this team.  In 2009, Malast didn’t see any time in any games for the Bears but he has a chance to stick to the roster as a backup now that the Bears have made a few moves at the position to help enhance other parts of the team.  Keep an eye on this guy because he could be on the team throughout 2010.

Speaking of a linebacker who will be on the team all of next season, Tim Shaw turned out to be the Bear’s special teams ace in 2009 and he’s going to be back in 2010 to help on special teams once again.  In 2009, Shaw played in 15 games for the Bears registering a total of 24 total tackles with 21 solo and three assisted.  He also had one forced fumble.  Shaw will continue to provide solid play on special teams and could even reach Pro Bowl status in 2010.

The Bears have two other linebackers in camp to help add some depth.  They are Greg Matthews and Matt Mayberry.  Right now, after watching their performance at the last minicamp, none of the starters should feel that they have anything to fear from these two guys although they are two good young talents.  It will be interesting to see how they progress.

The Bears have two spots at linebacker locked up pretty much (Briggs and Urlacher) but the other outside linebacker spot opposite Briggs is going to be up for grabs and right now the race is between Roach and Tinoisamoa.  Tinoisamoa may have the edge there though and as long as he can stay healthy he may have a fine season at the position.

The good news is that this position has a lot of good depth and should be able to overcome injuries for the most part.  As long as the key people stay healthy, this unit should have a lot of success in 2010 and could help solidify what may end up being one of the better defenses in the league next season.

UPDATE : The Bears signed former Jacksonville Jaguars reserve linebacker Brian Iwuh to the team after he worked out with them at mini-camp this past weekend.  He figures to push Shaw a little bit especially if he can carve out a role on special teams. 

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