Bilal Nichols emerging as a playmaker on Bears’ line

Eddie Goldman’s Pro Bowl-caliber excellence at nose tackle for the Bears was cloaked in anonymity. But Bilal Nichols’ impact as Goldman’s replacement has been hard to miss.

Make no mistake — Goldman’s absence as a coronavirus-season opt-out in 2020 has left a sizable hole in the Bears’ defense that they won’t totally fill. But Nichols’ production in his stead has helped mitigate the damage. And he’s added a big-play element that figures to put the Bears in better position next season, when Goldman presumably returns and Nichols moves back to his defensive end position.

Nichols’ sack of Kirk Cousins on the Vikings’ first offensive play from scrimmage last week helped fuel the Bears’ fast start. It pinned the Vikings at their 6-yard line and set up a three-and-out that turned into the Bears’ first touchdown en route to a 33-27 victory.

It was Nichols’ third consecutive game with a sack and gave him five for the season — more than Goldman had in 2018 (three) and 2019 (one) combined. Nichols also has 39 tackles, an interception, seven tackles-for-loss and 12 quarterback pressures this season.

“I feel like I’m playing the best football of my career right now,” said Nichols, 24, a fifth-round draft pick from Delaware in 2018. “Lately, I’ve been super locked in. I’ve been locked in all season, but I’ve been able to really hit a groove right now. Everything is coming together.”

Nichols has a knack for making his big plays count. Four of his sacks have been inside the opponents’ 10-yard line. His sack of Teddy Bridgewater against the Panthers could have been ruled a safety. But it still led to Tashaun Gipson’s interception on the next play that set up a Bears’ touchdown.

Nichols’ sack of Deshaun Watson at the Houston 9-yard line set up Khalil Mack’s sack for a safety on the next play. And Nichols’ nifty interception against the Lions on Dec. 6 at Soldier Field should have been a clinching play after his seven-yard return to the Lions 46 with 9:22 and the Bears leading 30-20, but it wasn’t.

Nichols has been a hit almost from the start of his rookie season in 2018. His progress was stalled by a broken hand he suffered against the Broncos last season. But his underdog work ethic and defensive line coach Jay Rodgers’ ability to maximize just about every guy he gets has Nichols back on an encouraging career trajectory.

“It all starts the way I practice,” Nichols said. “I try to come out here each week and practice as hard as I can. Doesn’t matter who we’re playing. Doesn’t matter how many plays I think I’ll get. It doesn’t matter if I’m playing end or nose. It doesn’t matter where I’m at, I’m going to practice as hard as I possibly can. I feel like it’s all translating over to Sundays on the field.”

Perhaps most of all, Nichols learns well.

“One thing about Bilal I admire most, not only as a person,” teammate Khalil Mack said, “is his willingness to listen and take those small, little critiques you tell him and use it to his advantage. He’s one of those guys that listens and he works at it. You see [him] reaping those benefits of listening and putting the work in. It’s a special thing to see.”

Though he’s established himself as a productive NFL player in his third season, Nichols still is fueled by the underdog mentality that got him here.

“Pretty much my whole life has been the underdog,” Nichols said. “I’ve never been the highest recruited guy. Never been the guy really looked at to be that guy. And that burned me and that added a lot of fire. It just made me want to out-work everybody. I always told myself, if a guy was better than me, it was just going to be because he was more talented — not because he out-worked me. That’s kind of the mindset I live by.”

Though previously overlooked, Nichols now is at the right place at the right time — surrounded by playmakers, mentored by elite players such as Goldman, Mack and Akiem Hicks, and with a position coach who consistently gets the most out of players.

Nichols does the rest.

“This offseason, I just grinded,” he said. “I didn’t have the year I wanted to have last year. I dealt with injuries. So I just grinded, grinded, grinded. I kept my head down and I went, no matter the circumstances — whether there was a pandemic or whatever; I was going to find a way to make things happen.

“That’s really the reason why I’m able to play at a high level right now — I didn’t cheat the grind. I didn’t cheat myself in the offseason. I think it’s starting to show.”