When thinking about members of the Chicago Bears defense who need to step up? Khalil Mack probably isn’t the first name that comes to mind. He was its best player in 2020. Meanwhile, guys like Eddie Jackson and Robert Quinn significantly underachieved. Jackson failed to record an interception. Quinn had just two sacks. Blaming the slipping of the defense on Mack isn’t fair.
At the same time, some haven’t been shy about calling out the superstar pass rusher for not playing up to expectations. Remember he is one of the highest-paid defenders in the NFL. The Bears gave him that money in the belief he’d be a star. While he has been very good the past two years, it is difficult to justify calling his production great with 8.5 sacks in 2019 and 9 sacks in 2020. Conversely, T.J. Watt had 14.5 and 15 sacks respectively at a fraction of the cost in Pittsburgh.
This is why a lot of Bears fans are upset.
They aren’t the only ones having these misgivings. It seems a number of coaches around the NFL familiar with his recent work have reached similar conclusions. Bill Barnwell of ESPN spoke to a few of them. The general belief is Mack remains good, but they fear if he has slipped out of the range of being one of the NFL’s true elite. Something that tends to happen once a player enters his 30s.
Some evaluators question, however, whether he was great.
“I didn’t think he was last year,” an NFL coordinator said. “Robert Quinn [on the other side] didn’t do him any favors. But [Mack] simply didn’t win enough for a player of his caliber.”
To be sure, Mack appeared on the injury report 10 times while dealing with knee, back, ankle and shoulder injuries. But his double-team rate has declined in each of the last three seasons, yet his win rate was three percentage points lower than in 2019. Mack won 9.7% of his double teams (seven of 72).
“His ‘wow’ plays are unbelievable,” the coordinator said. “There just weren’t enough of them.”
Health was definitely a factor in this. Mack did well to mask any pain he might’ve been in but there were a number of instances it looked like he was ailing. He managed to play through it and still be effective though. The truth is while the defense being better isn’t just about him, the fact remains he needs a big season. Something to justify that massive contract that continues to hang around the neck of the Bears’ salary cap.
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Khalil Mack is needed more than ever this year
A big reason why is the uncertainty surrounding the secondary. Both Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine departed this offseason, leaving lots of question marks at the cornerback position. With the coverage in danger of taking a downturn, it will fall to the pass rush to pick up the slack. While Quinn should get most of the time under the microscope, Mack won’t be able to escape it either.
This is the price of being a star. It comes with higher expectations. Khalil Mack wanted that big money and he got it. Well-deserved. Even so, for all the good things he does his primary duty has never changed. To say the quarterback. Though 30 sacks in three seasons is good, it’s hard to ignore the dip in appearances he’s made in the backfield. Are the opposing coaches correct?
Is Mack starting to decline?
This season is going to answer those questions and more. If he continues to decline? The Bears will have a big decision to make in 2022. Do they ride with him for one more year or part ways. Cutting Mack with a post-June 1st designation would net the team $17.75 million in cap space. They could also trade him as well. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.