Jeff Dickerson, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Durability is a concern for veteran DL Jeremiah Ratliff

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears' faith in veteran defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff comes with a disclaimer.

Ratliff, who turns 34-years old in August, has not played in 16 games since 2011 with the Dallas Cowboys. He's missed 26 games over the last three seasons, including five weeks for the Bears last year due to a concussion and knee injury.

"It's very important to play 16 games, especially at this point of my career," Ratliff said Thursday. "I do want to start strong, finish strong and hopefully get into the playoffs and play a little bit longer and still be strong. So that's the plan. Right now just taking it one day at a time and trying to get better."

Ratliff said he increased the frequency of his offseason workouts to better preserve his body.

"Well, this offseason, I never really stop working out," Ratliff said. "Even on vacation, find some gym, somewhere to work out. A lot of hips, a lot of explosion stuff, working on leverage, and those are things that I thought that I could definitely add on to my game last year to work on this year."

Bears general manager Ryan Pace identified Ratliff as a core member of the defensive line, but where exactly Ratliff lines up remains a question. A veteran of the 3-4 scheme from his playing days in Dallas, Ratliff has the flexibility to play nose tackle and end, provided he stays healthy.

"I'm not really worried about it. That will sort itself out, "Ratliff said. "Wherever I am that day, that's where I'm going to be. So, same story.

"Right now we're still getting everything together, but it's fun. It's providing a lot of freedom for the players, and the players get to take ownership for the defense. And once you have that it makes it way more productive. Everybody is enjoying it, as well as believing in it, and it's been good."

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