Chicago Bears: Final 53-man roster prediction after training camp

Outside Linebackers (5)

Who’s in: Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Barkevious Mingo, Isaiah Irving, Trevis Gipson
Practice Squad: James Vaughters, Ledarius Mack

The Chicago Bears wanted to improve their pass rush. When the quarterback is under a lot of pressure, he tends to make mistakes. That happened in 2018 when the defense recorded 50 sacks. That pressure led to 27 interceptions and 20 fumble recoveries.

The Bears thought that having one former All-Pro wasn’t enough to have for their pass rush. They decided to cut Leonard Floyd in lieu of giving him big money. Instead, they spent big money on free agent Robert Quinn. They’re banking on having a Mack-Quinn pass rush be a devastating duo against opposing quarterbacks. Add Hicks to the mix and there aren’t enough bodies to double team all of them.

It was a tough choice between Irving and Vaughters. Both are undrafted rookies carving out pretty good careers. Irving has more experience with this defense so he got the nod.

Mingo is hoping to resurrect his career. He was the sixth overall pick for the Cleveland Browns in 2013 but failed to live up to his billing. He only has 10 career sacks in seven seasons. If he could prove to be a dependable backup and pick up a few sacks then he can stay in the league a few more seasons.

Gipson was the Bears’ fifth-round (155th overall) in this year’s draft. He’ll be a pretty good pass rusher himself, but he’s still raw. He’ll be in on certain sub packages. Like Kmet, he’ll be a future star. While he needs more development, he has the tools to be successful.