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What will Bears biggest change on defense be?
247sports.com
With just over three weeks until the Chicago Bears report to Halas Hall for training camp, it will be the first time since the Bears week 17 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings that defensive coordinator and his staff will have an opportunity to work with the defense.
Last season, despite injuries to key starters Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, and Roquan Smith, under the guidance of Pagano, the Bears were still one of the best defenses in the NFL. Heading into 2020, with 8 of 11 starters expected to return, the expectations remain the same: Another year as one of the NFL's best.
This offseason, the Bears made some changes. Former first-round pick Leonard Floyd was released and will be replaced by Robert Quinn, the organization's biggest signing in free agency. Defensive backs Prince Amukamara and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix didn't return either. Clinton-Dix will be replaced by Tashaun Gipson, while Pagano and his staff will welcome a competition that will see four different players battle for the right to start opposite Kyle Fuller.
Of all the changes that were made, the biggest will likely be signing the 30-year-old Quinn to a five-year deal with $70M. General manager Ryan Pace had one motive in mind when it came to signing Quinn back in March: Upgrading the pass rush for Pagano. Floyd, who the Bears traded up for in the 2016 draft had just 11.5 sacks during his final three years in Chicago. Mack, would manage to tally just 8.5 in 2019 but his decline in production was more due to the absence of Hicks, compared to anything else.
Compare Floyd's production to Quinn's and it's clear that the Bears think they've got a legitimate pass-rushing duo. In 14 starts with the Dallas Cowboys last season, Quinn 11.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hits. Those two numbers alone explain why the Bears pursued him so aggressively in free agency.
Integrating Quinn into the Bears defense will be a challenge for Pagano. As a player who's traditionally played on the right of the defense his whole career, as well as being as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. He's reached double-digit sacks four different times in his career, lining up at right defensive end all four years.
"There'll be some adjustment for him," Pagano said. "There's some things he'll have to adapt to from a schematic standpoint but he's done a great job to this point with picking up the playbook stuff. Just his ability to rush the passer, come off the edge."
Quinn's clear ability to be dominant while playing on the right side of the defense will force Pagano into making an interesting decision, considering Mack also played on the right side of the defense in 2019. Will Quinn go back to being an outside linebacker, a position he's lined up at just once in his career?
"There's definitely some hurdles to get over but we'll do the right thing for Robert, we'll do the right thing in the entire defense to put them all in the best possible position to be successful," Pagano said.
As fired up as Pagano is, being able to add another double-digit sack machine to his defense, head coach Matt Nagy also sees the immediate impact that Quinn will have on defense.
"He’s been great. The feedback we’re getting from the coaches on who he is and how great he wants to be at his position is gonna be fun. So to see him and Khalil on opposite sides — that’s why we have him quite frankly. Robert is unique in the fact that he's had a really nice career and a lot of it has been in 4-3 type schemes, and then everybody says you talk about the nickel and the 4-2 fronts you get in nickel. For us, we just see a really smart, high-energy football player that does a really good job of getting after the quarterback."
As Pagano and Mack get ready to lead a playoff-caliber defense once again, the hope is that Quinn will return to his 2019 form and be able to form one of the NFL's best pass rushing duos that will allow for the defense to rediscover some of the magic that allowed much of the same unit to have 50 sacks back in 2018, although with a different defensive coordinator. With Quinn now lining up opposite Mack, Pagano will surely have a few tricks up his sleeve in 2020, some of which will allow for both to be in one-on-one situations at times, continuing to exploit offenses that will be scheming ways to limit the impact both can have.
What will Bears biggest change on defense be?
The addition of Robert Quinn should have a positive effect on the Chicago Bears defense as they add to their pass rush in 2020.
247sports.com
With just over three weeks until the Chicago Bears report to Halas Hall for training camp, it will be the first time since the Bears week 17 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings that defensive coordinator and his staff will have an opportunity to work with the defense.
Last season, despite injuries to key starters Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, and Roquan Smith, under the guidance of Pagano, the Bears were still one of the best defenses in the NFL. Heading into 2020, with 8 of 11 starters expected to return, the expectations remain the same: Another year as one of the NFL's best.
This offseason, the Bears made some changes. Former first-round pick Leonard Floyd was released and will be replaced by Robert Quinn, the organization's biggest signing in free agency. Defensive backs Prince Amukamara and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix didn't return either. Clinton-Dix will be replaced by Tashaun Gipson, while Pagano and his staff will welcome a competition that will see four different players battle for the right to start opposite Kyle Fuller.
Of all the changes that were made, the biggest will likely be signing the 30-year-old Quinn to a five-year deal with $70M. General manager Ryan Pace had one motive in mind when it came to signing Quinn back in March: Upgrading the pass rush for Pagano. Floyd, who the Bears traded up for in the 2016 draft had just 11.5 sacks during his final three years in Chicago. Mack, would manage to tally just 8.5 in 2019 but his decline in production was more due to the absence of Hicks, compared to anything else.
Compare Floyd's production to Quinn's and it's clear that the Bears think they've got a legitimate pass-rushing duo. In 14 starts with the Dallas Cowboys last season, Quinn 11.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hits. Those two numbers alone explain why the Bears pursued him so aggressively in free agency.
Integrating Quinn into the Bears defense will be a challenge for Pagano. As a player who's traditionally played on the right of the defense his whole career, as well as being as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. He's reached double-digit sacks four different times in his career, lining up at right defensive end all four years.
"There'll be some adjustment for him," Pagano said. "There's some things he'll have to adapt to from a schematic standpoint but he's done a great job to this point with picking up the playbook stuff. Just his ability to rush the passer, come off the edge."
Quinn's clear ability to be dominant while playing on the right side of the defense will force Pagano into making an interesting decision, considering Mack also played on the right side of the defense in 2019. Will Quinn go back to being an outside linebacker, a position he's lined up at just once in his career?
"There's definitely some hurdles to get over but we'll do the right thing for Robert, we'll do the right thing in the entire defense to put them all in the best possible position to be successful," Pagano said.
As fired up as Pagano is, being able to add another double-digit sack machine to his defense, head coach Matt Nagy also sees the immediate impact that Quinn will have on defense.
"He’s been great. The feedback we’re getting from the coaches on who he is and how great he wants to be at his position is gonna be fun. So to see him and Khalil on opposite sides — that’s why we have him quite frankly. Robert is unique in the fact that he's had a really nice career and a lot of it has been in 4-3 type schemes, and then everybody says you talk about the nickel and the 4-2 fronts you get in nickel. For us, we just see a really smart, high-energy football player that does a really good job of getting after the quarterback."
As Pagano and Mack get ready to lead a playoff-caliber defense once again, the hope is that Quinn will return to his 2019 form and be able to form one of the NFL's best pass rushing duos that will allow for the defense to rediscover some of the magic that allowed much of the same unit to have 50 sacks back in 2018, although with a different defensive coordinator. With Quinn now lining up opposite Mack, Pagano will surely have a few tricks up his sleeve in 2020, some of which will allow for both to be in one-on-one situations at times, continuing to exploit offenses that will be scheming ways to limit the impact both can have.
