Faster, lighter Eddie Goldman should be linchpin of Bears’ D

Buffalo Wild Wings franchises in the northern suburbs have lost a frequent customer. Bears defensive tackle Eddie Goldman’s diet features fewer cheat days.

“I feel like I’m lighter as far as my weight and I feel I’m moving better,” Goldman said Wednesday during the last week of organized team activities at Halas Hall.

“I was heavy. I was like 340 [pounds] when I came [in]. I dropped about 10 or 15 pounds; 325 [pounds] is the ideal weight for me, at least from the perspective of the coaches.”

It’s all part of the offseason process to maximize Goldman’s talent as he enters his second NFL season. As impressive as he was as a rookie in stretches, weight and stamina issues hindered his production. Being in better shape should result in more big plays, and he knows it.

“It was pretty simple: work on my eating habits,” Goldman said. “I had more cheat days in my diet, you know what I mean? I would go to Buffalo Wild Wings more often [in the past]. There would be more of those days.”

The Bears upgraded their front seven by adding inside linebackers Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman, defensive end Akiem Hicks and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd. Outside linebackers Willie Young and Lamarr Houston also are healthy at the start of OTAs.

But Goldman, 22, is the linchpin. A better defense must have more reliable play from the 39th overall pick in the 2015 draft. He’s the starting nose tackle in the base 3-4 defense and is expected to be better pass rusher in sub packages.

Goldman’s 4 ½ sacks and six tackles for loss last season were a good start, but defensive line coach Jay Rodgers said the next step for him is a “big improvement.”

It starts with Goldman being on the field more. He started 12 games last season, but played only 50.1 percent of the defensive snaps. Being lighter will help.

“[I’m] moving faster,” said Goldman, who sat out Week 17 last year with an ankle injury. “[It’s] my foot-quickness. It helps with your stamina, too.”

Playing faster also involves thinking less, and Goldman thinks he has a better understanding of what his responsibilities are in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense. Rodgers said having a season’s worth of tape to evaluate helps, too.

“He can watch himself do things correctly, and then when he can do things correctly more consistently, you’re going to see more plays from him,” Rodgers said. “There’s a lot of pluses he had in spurts in the season, and a lot where he’ll say, ‘I wish I would’ve known that back in Week 1.’ Well, you’re doing that in Week 10.

“Playing D-line in the NFL is a learning process, and then you’re playing against guys who’ve been playing 15 years, 12 years on the offensive line. Eddie is 40 pounds heavier than them, but they’re real crafty with their hands. Those are the things [he can learn from].”

Rodgers has noticed more pep in Goldman’s giant steps because of his weight loss. But he hasn’t seen a change in Goldman’s formidable strength, his best attribute coming out of Florida State.

If anything, Goldman has shown early on during the offseason program that he has learned to get better leverage in the trenches because of his improved speed and what he learned last season.

“He’s a lot more square on blocks,” Rodgers said. “He’s already strong, so when you know where they’re going [and] when he can play the blocks great, then you’re going to even look more powerful.”

If that happens, the Bears’ front seven can be a daunting group.

“I can’t really say what we’re going to do, [but] I know what we plan to do,” Goldman said. “It’s looking like a vicious front, because we have a combination of speed and strength.”

And Goldman should be the most vicious part of it.