Chicago Bears: 3 Players who need to finally step up in 2021
1. Robert Quinn, Edge Rusher
What is it about Chicago Bears edge rushers wearing No. 94 who cannot give Khalil Mack a chance to do his thing?
Leonard Floyd was first. He struggled to record sacks despite seeing one-on-one matchups because the opposition keyed in on Mack. In two seasons playing alongside Mack, however, he only recorded seven sacks.
The Bears decided to move on from Floyd and signed former All-Pro Robert Quinn to a huge free agent deal (five years, $70 million with $30 million guaranteed). He not only took over Floyd’s position on the opposite side of Mack but also took over Floyd’s number.
Again, Mack had to see constant double teams (and triple teams) because of no activity on the other side. Quinn recorded just two sacks. He recorded the first one on his first snap of the season in Week 2. However, he didn’t get his other one until Week 14.
Quinn has to step up this season. With new defensive coordinator Sean Desai, the Bears will utilize a more aggressive defense. For the system to succeed, the front seven need to put a lot of pressure on opposing offenses. They have to make quarterbacks run around and force them to make mistakes.
Quinn already showed that he has the ability to play excellent. He has a great combination of power, quickness, and athleticism to find his way into backfields and create havoc. The Bears coaching staff envisioned a lot of quarterbacks running for their lives and running backs having to run back into the inside of the line where they’ll just fail.
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If Quinn doesn’t take that step this season he’ll find himself out of a job. The Bears could save up to $12 million in salary cap space if they cut him after the 2021 season. The Bears, with a number of players with expiring contracts, could hit the free agency market hard and overhaul the team. If Quinn wants to find himself a contributor beyond 2021 he needs to step up now.