Film study: Bears need Quinn to bring the rush
Quarantine gave Mike time to study coaches film from the Bears' 2019 season. Here is Part 3 of his observations, focused on the team's offseason moves.
The greatest manufactured pass rush in the NFL.
That's clearly the Bears' goal this season. With Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and newcomer Robert Quinn, the Bears hope to have such a devastating pass rush, fans will barely notice two key pieces in the secondary have departed.
The term manufactured pass rush is being used because all three of those players started their careers with other teams. The Bears added Mack in a blockbuster trade, while Quinn and Hicks joined as free agents.
There's a side effect to acquiring star-caliber players, as opposed to, say, drafting them. They're usually very expensive.
So heading into 2020, Mack, Hicks and Quinn have three of the biggest contracts on the roster, in terms of total guaranteed money. Will this giant investment in the pass rush pay off?
Well, it might. Quinn recorded 11.5 sacks for the Cowboys last season. With Quinn on one side, Mack on the other, and Hicks in the middle, the Bears' defensive front should be a handful.
There are some potential pitfalls, of course. What if the Bears don't get the Quinn of 2019, but the guy who had 6.5 sacks for Miami in 2018? Quinn is 30 and heading into his tenth NFL season.
Another concern - as mentioned in the defensive film study - is Hicks demonstrated his value by missing the majority of last season with an elbow injury. The Bears' defense was still good, but took a giant step backward once Hicks went out against the Raiders in Week 5.
If Hicks gets hurt again, there will be an even more gaping hole in the middle of the defensive line. Maybe they should have looked for help there.
Banking on pressure
Quinn's addition will be interesting, though. He likes to line up wide, get in a sprinter's stance and explode off the line. Opposing teams almost always lined up a tight end on his side last fall. Sometimes the tight end would give a chip block, other times they'd just get in the way and not give Quinn a running start.
Quinn's performance last year was very matchup driven, as is the case in most every sport. His best game came early in the season against the Saints and Pro Bowl LT Terron Armstead. Quinn has 2 sacks that day and had a third wiped out by penalty. He was much quieter the following week against Green Bay's David Bakhtiari.
Another Quinn highlight came against Philadelphia's celebrated offensive line. On consecutive plays, he bull-rushed rookie tackle Andre Dillard into a sack of Carson Wentz. The next play, Dillard managed to push Quinn behind the QB, but Quinn still reached over and got his hand on the ball, forcing an incompletion.
The Cowboys played in Soldier Field late in the season and Quinn was a nonfactor, other than one tackle for loss on a Cordarrelle Patterson wildcat keeper. Charles Leno Jr. didn't need help to shut down Quinn almost completely.
That's why I don't see Quinn as a slam-dunk acquisition. If the pass rush falters or one of the Big Three gets injured, then the pressure will be on whoever replaces cornerback Prince Amukamara and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, two guys the Bears chose not to re-sign.
Technically, Quinn is moving from defensive end in Dallas to outside linebacker in Chicago, but that's a change in name only. He'll likely perform the exact same role.
Two more quick concerns here: Quinn almost always fires off the line of scrimmage full-speed and he rarely made plays in the run game last fall, simply because he tends to overrun run plays. Quinn finished with 34 total tackles last season, less than Leonard Floyd's 40.
Also, Quinn played 60 percent of the snaps in Dallas. Mack logged 86 percent and Floyd 84 percent last fall. Floyd (Rams) moved on, as did Aaron Lynch (Jaguars), the Bears' primary backup at OLB last year. So who fills in when Quinn needs a rest? Good question.
Bargains could pay off
The Bears made two other expensive additions - quarterback Nick Foles and tight end Jimmy Graham. Foles arrived in a trade, Graham as a free agent.
Plenty has been written about Foles vs. Mitch Trubisky. It's important to point out Foles has played in as many as 10 games just twice in eight NFL seasons. It doesn't seem realistic to picture Foles as the permanent, full-time starter, but he could turn out to be very good Trubisky insurance. Every teams needs a good backup QB.
Graham had a four-year run with the Saints from 2011-14 that ranks among the best in NFL history for tight ends. He's slowed down since then, but the Bears probably think he can be productive for a season or two and serve as a strong mentor for rookie Cole Kmet.
A couple of lower-priced free agents who signed one-year deals could turn out to be as valuable as anyone. The Bears are hoping the threat of veteran WR Ted Ginn Jr. going deep will open up the offense. And they badly need Germain Ifedi to deliver at right guard and help secure the disappointing offensive line.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls