Just one year removed from a 12-4 season that included a NFC North title, the Chicago Bears stumbled to a 8-8 record and third-place finish in the division in 2019.
While the offense garners most of the blame for Chicago’s shortcomings, the defense also suffered some regression following an absolutely magical 2018 season, that included 36 takeaways.
The Bears defense certainly regressed, which was to be expected, but they still managed to finish as a top-five unit in 2019. That with suffering injuries to key starters defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and linebackers Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith.
Outside linebacker Khalil Mack even suffered a dip in production, statistically, where he had just 8.5 sacks in 2019. But, as is often true, Mack’s impact can’t be summed up by the boxscore alone.
Which explains why Mack cracked the top 10 of Pete Prisco’s Top 100 Players of 2020, clocking in at No. 9. He was the lone Bear that made the list. Last year, four Bears made the list, including Mack, Hicks, safety Eddie Jackson and cornerback Kyle Fuller.
For the first time since his rookie season of 2014, he didn’t get double-digit sacks last season. He had 8.5, but he was still a force off the edge for the Bears. By his standards, his season was subpar. By the rest of the league’s standards, he’s still a force who has to be accounted for by an offense.
The Bears strengthened their pass rush this offseason with the free-agent acquisition of Robert Quinn, who replaces Leonard Floyd opposite Mack. Last season, Floyd managed a career-low three sacks, and the Bears couldn’t justify awarding him with $13.2 million for that kind of production.
Instead, they brought in a powerhouse off the edge in Quinn, who had 11.5 sacks a season ago with the Dallas Cowboys. Pairing Quinn with Mack immediately upgrades the pass rush this season, and it’ll be exciting to see what these two can accomplish together, especially considering Hicks is returning from injury to bring additional pressure up the middle.
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