Outside Linebackers
2019 | 2020 |
Khalil Mack | Khalil Mack |
Leonard Floyd | Robert Quinn |
Aaron Lynch | Trevis Gipson |
Isaiah Irving | Barkevious Mingo |
Kylie Fitts | Isaiah Irving |
James Vaughters | Ledarius Mack |
Mathieu Betts | Devante Bond |
Chuck Harris | LaCale London |
The Bears pass rush wasn’t at its best in 2019, where even Khalil Mack had an off year in the boxscore. Still, Mack continued to be worth the money and draft capital as one of Chicago’s most dominant defenders. Former first-round pick Leonard Floyd, while he thrived in coverage and stopping the run, continued to regress in getting after the quarterback. His sack total has declined every year since he entered the league in 2016, including a career-low three sacks in 2019. And that was opposite Mack, who opens up some one-on-one opportunities.
Heading into 2020, Chicago made some moves at outside linebacker, parting ways with Floyd, who they couldn’t justify paying $13.2 million. The Bears upgraded their pass rush with the additions of free-agent acquisitions Robert Quinn and Barkevious Mingo along with rookie fifth-rounder Trevis Gipson and undrafted free agent Ledarius Mack. Now that Mack has someone like Quinn opposite him to take advantage of those one-on-one opportunities, we’ll see exactly what this pass rush is capable of.
Advantage: 2020
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