How Jordan Van Den Berg Never Would’ve Made The NFL If Not For Grady Jarrett
Let’s set the scene. Jordan Van Den Berg was a zero-star recruit from South Africa who clawed his way onto Penn State’s roster in 2021. Despite working tirelessly, the young defensive tackle failed to crack the starting lineup for three years. Sensing that his football career was starting to circle the drain, he made a risky decision to enter the transfer portal. That is how he ended up at Georgia Tech playing for the Yellowjackets. Their program had been churning out some pretty good defensive line prospects in recent years. Maybe they could help Van Den Berg take the next step.
Enter Jesse Simpson. The 54-year-old had been a defensive line coach at the college and NFL level for eight years. That experience proved crucial when he assessed what the issue was with Van Den Berg. The simple truth was he didn’t know how to play the right way. Given his size and explosiveness, the young defensive tackle had to learn how to use leverage and explosiveness to his advantage. That means learning the necessary fundamentals, and there was only one person Simpson knew was perfect for that job.
Van den Berg noted that Georgia Tech defensive line coach Jess Simpson previously worked for the Atlanta Falcons, so Simpson made sure that van den Berg watched plenty of Grady Jarrett tape.
Jarrett, a longtime Falcons tackle, and van den Berg will be teammates on the Bears.
The impact was felt almost immediately by Jordan Van Den Berg.
While the stats weren’t there in 2024, there were flashes of what Van Den Berg was learning on tape. His hands became more violent. He stayed low to the ground and used his lower-body strength to knife his way through blockers into the backfield. That first season set the stage for what followed. In 2025, you saw the defensive tackle blossom into a legitimate threat. He had three sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, and dozens of pressures on the quarterback. If you removed the jersey, you’d swear you’re seeing flashes of Jarrett.
For those saying that Jordan Van Den Berg is not Jarrett, don’t ignore history. People always forget that the two-time Pro Bowler was a 5th round pick himself. Nobody expected him to achieve what he has. It came down to learning how to maximize his strengths while hiding his weaknesses. That is why learning techniques is so vital. If almost everybody you line up against will be bigger than you, it’s time to find ways to work around it. Jarrett did it with explosiveness and an endless supply of moves to keep blockers off his body.
The story gets even better.
That is because now Jordan Van Den Berg has Jarrett as his teammate. By strange serendipity, he ends up on the same team that Jarrett signed with as a free agent a year ago. The NFL can be a wild place sometimes. If learning from the film was effective, just imagine what the rookie could glean from daily practices. If he’s willing to pepper the veteran with questions, his game should only get deeper and more diverse. No doubt the Bears are hoping that will be the case, considering the sheer athletic upside the 6th round pick has.
If things pan out as hoped, the Bears could finally have that interior pass rush presence they’ve been sorely lacking since Akiem Hicks departed a few years ago. It would change the landscape of this entire defense. It explains why the Bears are more excited than normal for a player drafted so late. They see the potential in Van Den Berg. They also know he couldn’t have a better mentor. While Jarrett might not be the player he was a few years ago, his ability to impact the team isn’t restricted to his play.