Former Bears NT Eddie Goldman returns to NFL originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Eddie Goldman is unretiring. The Falcons announced on Tuesday that they reinstated the defensive tackle.
Goldman was a key cog in the Bears 3-4 defense that Vic Fangio built, and Chuck Pagano and Sean Desai continued. But when the Bears switched to a 4-3 defense when Matt Eberflus and Alan Williams took over, Goldman's role as a double-team soaking nose tackle wasn’t a scheme fit. Ryan Poles ultimately cut Goldman in March 2022.
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Goldman followed former Bears GM Ryan Pace to the Falcons ahead of the 2022 season, but he decided to retire 13 days later. Goldman also opted-out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, so he’s missed two of the last four seasons. It wasn’t clear for some time whether he would return in 2021, either. He didn’t show for mandatory minicamp that year, and coaches said they didn’t know whether he was going to report to training camp until he physically showed up at Halas Hall. When Goldman finally returned to game action in Week 4, he wasn’t the same dominant player that he had been in 2019. It took several weeks for Goldman to get his legs under him, and before long he began ceding snaps to rookie Khyiris Tonga.
The Bears drafted Goldman in the second round of the 2015 draft and in the early stages of his career he was an important piece in the middle of the defensive line. In six seasons with the Bears, Goldman had 175 tackles, 18 TFLs and 13 sacks. He was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2019.
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