Chicago Bears history is rich with linebacker talent that has generally been the backbone of the defense. Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher are just a few names who have left their mark on this franchise and on the NFL, as well.
And at first glance, the 2020 version of the linebacker corps looks strong on paper. The Bears added Robert Quinn in the offseason, officially ending a disappointing tenure in Leonard Floyd. Quinn, 30, was signed to a five-year, $70 million deal, and he’s coming off an impressive 11.5 sack year with the Cowboys.
Let’s take an in-depth review of the Bears linebacker room heading into training camp.
OLB Khalil Mack
After an impressive debut season in Chicago, Khalil Mack was double, and sometimes even triple-teamed, to limit the damage. He tallied his lowest sack total (8.5) since his rookie year, and he felt Akiem Hicks’ absence the most. After recording 4.5 sacks through the first four weeks, he logged just four sacks the rest of the way.
Mack remains one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL, and Hicks’ return should boost his statistics in 2020. He can single-handedly wreak havoc on an opposing offense. Despite a down year, Mack started in all 16 games, tallying four pass deflections and five forced fumbles.
ILB Roquan Smith
Smith’s 2019 season ended prematurely due to a torn pectoral muscle. He was placed on injured reserve in December, but by that point, the writing was already on the wall for the Bears season. The former eighth overall pick in the 2018 draft had a strong rookie season, recording a combined 121 tackles, including eight tackles for loss, five sacks, and five pass deflections.
Again, he was limited last year, starting in 12 games, tallying 101 combined tackles, including five tackles for loss, and two sacks. One area he improved in last year was pass coverage. He allowed a 67.2 completion percentage for passes targeted his way and just a 75.9 quarterback rating. Now heading into three year, and presumably healthy, Smith is due for a big season.
ILB Danny Trevathan
Many believed that last year would be Trevathan’s last in a Bears uniform, given the salary cap restrictions. However, he signed a three-year, $21.8 million contract extension in March. The 30-year-old has struggled to consistently remain healthy, landing on the injured reserve twice in four seasons.
In 2018, Trevathan proved what he was capable of over a 16-game slate, recording a combined 102 tackles, including eight tackles for loss, two sacks, and six pass deflections. He had a gruesome elbow injury that officially ended his year in 2019. His production was severely limited in his final three games, recording a combined 15 tackles after tallying 22 in the previous two games before that.
OLB Robert Quinn
The newcomer along the Bears starting linebackers, Robert Quinn, as noted, had a phenomenal 2019 season, tallying 11.5 sacks with 13 tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 14 games. He’s been on three different teams in three years, so hopefully, staying in one place for a while can help Quinn solely focus on the task in front of him.
Lining up opposite of Mack, the Bears got significantly better in this area of the field, after releasing Leonard Floyd, who didn’t live up to the expectations of being a high draft pick. Arguably part of the best defense, since he was part of that Rams 2013 squad, where he recorded a career-best 19.0 sacks, Quinn will be expected to create chaos on the right side of the defense.
OLB Isaiah Irving
Irving has played sparingly during his time in Chicago. The former undrafted free agent out of San Jose State has found a way to stick around and now provides depth behind Mack. In back-to-back seasons, Irving has seen time in 13 games, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams.
The lone sack of his career came in November 2018 against the Buffalo Bills, when Irving played in place of Mack, who was dealing with an ankle injury. Aside from the sack, Irving recorded three combined tackles, including one tackle for loss while playing in 43 percent of the defensive snaps.
ILB Josh Woods
As a bigger defensive back at the University of Maryland, Woods made the transition to linebacker when the Bears signed him in June 2018. He spent the entire year on the practice squad, getting acclimated to life as an inside linebacker. He played in nine games last season, recording five combined tackles, with all his snaps coming on special teams.
ILB Joel Iyiegbuniwe
“Iggy” was potentially a candidate to replace Trevathan, if he departed in free agency. The former fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky recorded a combined 117 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks as a redshirt junior. His contributions to the Bears thus far have been primarily limited to special teams.
With the oft-injured Trevathan, Iyiegbuniwe would likely get an opportunity to step into the veteran’s role on the starting front. For now, though, he’ll likely be held to special teams.
OLB Trevis Gipson
The Bears were so high on pass rusher Trevis Gipson that they traded into the fifth round to grab him. While Gipson has a long way to go in his development, his upside is huge. He has all of the tools to become a starter for the Bears down the line. And learning from the likes of one of the best in the game in Mack certainly doesn’t hurt.
Gipson tallied 49 combined tackles, including 15 tackles for loss, and eight sacks as a redshirt senior at Tulsa last year. At his Pro-Day, Gipson ran a 4.69 40-yard dash, despite being 6-4, 253 pounds.
OLB Barkevious Mingo
The Bears added some depth at outside linebacker with the free-agent acquisition of Barkevious Mingo, who will be assuming the role vacated by the departed Aaron Lynch. Mingo, a former sixth overall selection by the Cleveland Browns in 2013, was a good-value addition for a Bears team running low on salary cap space.
Mingo’s best season came with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018, where he started 14 games and notched a career-best 48 tackles, as well as one sack, one pass defensed and two forced fumbles. He’s also been a reliable special teams player over the years, which makes him even more valuable.
ILB James Vaughters
The undrafted free agent has been on a whole slew of teams, including a couple of stints with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. Vaughters is a hometown kid, who played his college ball at Stanford. As a senior, he recorded 50 total tackles, including 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. In the Foster Farms Bowl, Vaughters named the Defensive MVP of that game.
He was one of the more intriguing stories on the Bears roster, reportedly getting emotional before the Bears were set to take on Philadelphia last year.
“But when we were pulling up to the stadium,” said Vaughters, via Chicago Bears.com. “And you see all the fans, the tailgating, cars everywhere, just the entire atmosphere, it’s just something that I never thought I’d see.
OLB Devante Bond
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bond (Devante Bond), recorded a career-best 22 total tackles during the 2015 campaign. While his time has primarily been limited to special teams, Bond played in 24 percent of Tampa’s defensive snaps that year. However, with a full linebacker room in Chicago, Bond will likely try to latch on in special teams.
OLB Keandre Jones
Formerly a top-10 linebacker recruit in the country, Jones played his college ball at the University of Maryland. As a senior, he tallied 73 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss, and seven sacks. Despite not hearing his name called in the 2020 NFL Draft, Jones could be a sneaky signing for the Bears. But unless an injury occurs this season, he’ll likely begin with opportunities on special teams with the potential for more playing time.
OLB Ledarius Mack
As Khalil’s younger brother, he’ll have a lot to live up to, and there’s no doubt that the name connection helped lure him to Chicago. Similar to his brother, he played his collegiate football at Buffalo, recording 24 total tackles, including 11 tackles for loss, and seven sacks last year.
And from the sounds of it, (Ledarius) Mack isn’t particularly worried about being compared to his brother:
“I don’t think about comparisons at this point; I just think about taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to me,” Ledarius said, via ABC7Chicago. “I’m real versatile with my game; I could be a finesse guy, I can be a hard-nosed guy, doesn’t really matter.”
ILB Rashad Smith
Although he’s a tad undersized – 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, Smith was productive during his time at FAU. In four seasons, he tallied 302 total tackles, including 31 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks. He was named the Baco Raton Bowl’s Defensive MVP in FAU’s thrashing over SMU. Similar to the aforementioned UDFA’s, Smith will likely get a chance on special teams first.
OLB LaCale London
The Peoria, Illinois, native is another undrafted free agent for the Bears out of Western Illinois University. London transferred to Western Illinois in 2018 after attending Iowa Central Community College and was named onto the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team. In London’s two years with the Leathernecks’ he totaled 71 tackles, 7.5 sacks, seven pass deflections, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
