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Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Time to take the next step.

After back-to-back seasons of finishing 30th in the league in yards allowed, the Chicago Bears made incredible strides under new head coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio this past season.

Now armed with free-agent additions such as defensive end Akiem Hicks and inside linebackers Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan, as well as first-round outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, this is a unit on the rise.

Trevathan earned a Super Bowl ring with the Denver Broncos this past season and played for Fox in the Mile High City for four seasons. He understands what it takes for a defense to elevate its game to another level.

“You have to be hungry,” said the 26-year-old defender to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “It’s hard to put together great days (all the time). But great teams do it. You come in with that chip on your shoulder every day. Write it down, look yourself in the mirror, tell yourself what you want out of the day, then go out there and attack.”

The signings of Freeman and Trevathan will do wonders for a group that still has a ways to go when it comes to stopping the run. Chicago was tied for 22nd in the NFL in rushing defense in 2015.

Making teams one-dimensional will allow Fangio to turn loose outside linebackers such as Floyd and veterans Pernell McPhee, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young.

The team totaled only 35 sacks and came away with just 17 takeaways this past season. Look for those numbers—as well as the overall play of this restocked unit—to improve significantly this fall.