When the 2020 season ended, Chicago Bears fans were furious. While the team had made the playoffs, they had done so with an 8-8 record and got rewarded with a humiliating 21-9 defeat in New Orleans. Plenty of people got blamed for this, and among the favorite targets of fan wrath was Robert Quinn. The veteran pass rusher had signed a five-year deal worth $70 million. The hope was he’d finally be that person who’d take advantage of Khalil Mack’s presence on the opposite side.
What the Bears got instead were two sacks. The lowest total of his NFL career. Quinn was already being called the biggest free agency misfire in franchise history. Another black stain on GM Ryan Pace’s track record. This led to speculation about how the team might be able to escape the contract. Even if it meant sending a draft pick along with him to sweeten the deal. It was a humbling experience for the former Pro Bowler.
One thing was clear.
The 2021 season would be the most important of his life. He couldn’t afford another brutal year like that. Not if he wanted to stay employed. People already think he’s becoming too injury-prone. If he couldn’t even get sacks when healthy, then what good is he? So Quinn trained hard in the offseason. He arrived at training camp in great shape and made it his mission to put that nightmare behind him.
A lot of people doubted it would happen. Quinn is too old and too brittle to have any type of revenge season. Well, two weeks in and they might want to retract those forecasts. In eight quarters of action, the 31-year old has 2.5 sacks. He has already exceeded his total from 2020 with 15 games still to go. He is also second on the team with five total pressures. Not to mention a pair of stops for no gain on run plays.
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This Robert Quinn could change the outlook of the Bears’ defense
From the beginning of his signing a year ago, the idea was he and Mack would form a dangerous tandem off the edge. This would also create plenty of opportunities in the interior with Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols. Suddenly opponents would face a huge dilemma. They can’t double everybody. Someone is going to get single-blocked and when that happens with this array of horses? It often leads to an uncomfortable quarterback.
Cincinnati saw a taste of that last Sunday. Joe Burrow was sacked four times on the afternoon and pressured several others. This led directly to three interceptions. Everybody was getting to the quarterback and Robert Quinn was among the most active. While there are valid concerns about the Bears’ secondary and how well it can cover this season, the ascent of their pass rush might be able to mitigate the problem.
It comes down to that original concern. Health.
Quinn has a history of back issues and it was a case of drop foot that slowed him last season. Asking that body to survive 17 games might be too much. This is why the Bears would be wise to manage his snaps carefully. Use him in obvious pass rush situations and give him breathers during games. That is where having solid backups like Jeremiah Attaochu and Trevis Gipson can be big. If this is the Quinn Chicago gets in 2021, the defense might be just fine.