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Pernell McPhee is not the long-term answer for the Chicago Bears at edge rusher

By James Cobern

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One of the biggest free agency signings the Chicago Bears made in the 2015 offseason was Pernell McPhee. The Bears signed him to a five-year deal worth an estimated 40 million dollars according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

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Cory Buck of FanSided wrote that McPhee was largely signed to be a stout defender for the Bears. But so far McPhee has been a major contributor to the Bears defense against the pass and run this season.

He’s leading the Bears in total sacks (4) and tackles (24) according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. If he can continue on the pace he’s set so far he will be with elite company.

McPhee has produced in the 90 percentile or higher in solo tackle and sack market share based on a ten year sample of edge rushers since 2005. McPhee’s market share being on par with guys like DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller and Justin Houston is impressive.

It’s a terrific start for an otherwise risky free agent signing due to McPhee’s lackluster production prior on the Baltimore Ravens.

Vic Fangio has utilized McPhee to his best potential through 6 games. But the only question moving forward is whether this early surge is too good to be true?

Yes McPhee had to fight for reps with Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil on the Ravens, but was he really as good as McPhee’s first 6 games have been?

McPhee based on his athletic testing was closer to Brian Young than Shaun Phillips or Terrell Suggs. And his college market share was also closer to a long-term starter than an elite edge player.

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McPhee also has great market share on the Bears through 6 games, but it’s still only 4 sacks, which at that rate would be 10-11 as a whole for the season. That doesn’t sound like an elite edge rusher and brings into question how bad the Bears defensive talent really is?

Maybe McPhee is only producing at an elite level through 6 games compared to his peers on the Bears, because of his peers on the Bears. This isn’t exactly a roster anyone would compare to Blitzburgh or the Legion of Boom.

It’s a defense with a lot of talent deficiencies that’s doing the best it can to survive with a defensive coordinator in Vic Fangio who has schemed things up correctly. McPhee thankfully has stepped up, and one can only hope he continues this level of play to the end of season.

But something tells me that he will hit a wall at some point this season. And his 6 game start will be a high compared to his 16 game lull.

We have the rest of the 2015 NFL season to answer these questions. But at the very least Bear fans can be happy that a free agent signing is actually showing signs of life.

And if McPhee turns out to be what I see as the Bears secondary pass rusher, and Ryan Pace goes out in the 2016 NFL draft to get a primary one, at least you didn’t pay too much money for a solid contributor.

However, I want to hear from you. Has Pernell McPhee impressed you with his performances in the 2015 NFL season?

Do you want to see more out of him? Or are you firmly advocating as I am that the Bears get him some backup and a running mate next offseason or draft?

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