Why the Chicago Bears have so much confidence in reserve DBs Josh Blackwell and Elijah Hicks

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - In London, the Chicago Bears were down Tyrique Stevenson and Jaquan Brisker already when the defense suffered another blow.

Nickelback Kyler Gordon departed with a hamstring injury. In came reserve Josh Blackwell.

But Bears' nickelback coach David Overstreet wasn't concerned. Instead, he started making predictions for Blackwell.

"The crazy part is I talked to him right before and I told him I said I felt like he was about to get an interception," Overstreet said. "He went and got it like two plays later. I was like, ‘oh my God. I need go play the lottery.’"

Blackwell was one of three reserves that got plenty of playing time in London. Two of those reserves – Blackwell and safety Elijah Hicks – might see the same amount of time this weekend in Maryland.

The Bears aren't thinking twice, though. They're moving full speed ahead with preparation for Sunday's game against Washington because they know Hicks and Blackwell can keep up.

That confidence stems from the kind of preparation the coaches have seen since the preseason to the midpoint of this season.

Hicks isn't a stranger to seeing time. Sunday was his ninth NFL start, and he made the most of it with a fumble recovery, a pass break up and five tackles starting in Brisker's spot. The best facet of Hicks' game was the confidence the seventh round pick out of California played with.

"He did a really good job, played with a lot of confidence, was where he needed to be on the fumble that TJ (Edwards) forced," Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. "He's there to pick the football up and to start advancing the ball back toward the right end of the field."

Hicks and Blackwell combined to force two turnovers against the Jaguars. The Bears will be counting on that performance to carry over this weekend if Brisker and Gordon are unable to play.

Blackwell is an example of a player who has accepted coaching. He was an undrafted free agent out of Duke who was cut by the Eagles in 2022. He stuck with the Bears in 2023 as a reserve cornerback, and earned a roster spot in 2024 as the primary backup at nickelback behind Gordon.

Blackwell hasn't been sitting and watching. Overstreet stressed that Blackwell needed experience in practice and walkthroughs. In getting that experience across two and a half seasons with the Bears, Overstreet said Blackwell has passed the tests.

Blackwell passed his biggest one with an interception on Trevor Lawrence that set up a Bears' touchdown.

"You can't just have him sitting there watching, you got to put them in the game," Overstreet said. "Josh has been doing that and getting all the reps, but also when we're in the meetings and we're watching the tape, I asked him questions and he answered the questions."

Both Hicks and Blackwell have earned praise by having high football IQs. Their coaches stressed their ability to stay ready has correlated with their ability to understand their roles in the Bears' defense and to understand how one part of a week's preparation impacts the other.

"He's locked in to meetings, he's locked into practice, he's accountable, he's disciplined," Bears safeties coach Andre Curtis said of Hicks. "That's the way he is."

Both Hicks and Blackwell are behind entrenched starters. They understand what their role is and how they're a part of the Bears' system. That doesn't mean the coaches don't relish in the plays they do get to make when their number is called.

"They've been around us for a few years, so they kind of know our style, our system, and they're ready for that moment," Curtis said. "Any moment could be your moment. And it's a good thing, a cool thing to see when you see somebody ready."

Against Washington, the Bears will face perhaps their biggest offensive test yet.

The Commanders, behind first-year offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, use plenty of motion and operate plenty of plays out of just one formation. The Bears need to be ready, and they'll need to rely on their discipline.

"This will be a great opportunity for us to not only evaluate our values, but to measure ourselves against a pretty good offense," Washington said. "We're excited for the challenge."

The "next-man-up" mentality is a heavily used sports cliche. Coaches at all levels stress their reserves need to be ready when an injury can change the complexion of an entire season.

That's the current case with the Bears' secondary. Blackwell and Hicks aren't new to the NFL or the Bears by any means, but they've shown their worth on a defense that boasts plenty of talented players.

That's given the Bears plenty of confidence in keeping their stride with a defense that's become one of the best in the league.

"You definitely don't want any of our guys ever go down, but you got to prepare the guys to be able to play," Overstreet said. "That's a great example for anybody that's on roster: whenever your number gets called, you got to be ready to roll."