Category: 2021 season

Quinn alone can’t save Cowboys defense, as Falcons plan proved

Newly hired Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn doesn’t have a magic wand.

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It’s going to take more than newly hired coordinator Dan Quinn to fix the Dallas Cowboys long time defensive woes. He is not a sorcerer, and as much as fans and NFL decision makers alike want to believe in magic, it takes more than a wave of a wand to turn it around.

There was no defensive mind more sought after ahead of the 2015 season. The Seattle Seahawks were coming off of back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl with a supercharged defensive unit that had finished No. 1 and 2 by DVOA under Quinn’s guidance. He was hired by the Atlanta Falcons and suddenly the defensive genius was no more.

Coordinators are important, but so is talent. Bill Belichick missed the playoffs in 2020 after a mass exodus of players due to free agency and Covid-19 opt-outs. Kellen Moore couldn’t replicate 2019’s magic after losing quarterback Dak Prescott and the majority of the offensive line for the 2020 campaign. And Quinn couldn’t fix a Falcons defense that wasn’t getting the resources required to do so.

Below is a table of defenses Quinn has been in charge of while in the NFL.

Year Team Defensive DVOA Rank Cap Spent on Defense Rank No. of Defensive All-Pros
2013 SEA 1 16 3
2014 SEA 2 12 4
2015 ATL 18 29 0
2016 ATL 19 28 1
2017 ATL 17 23 1
2018 ATL 30 25 0
2019 ATL 17 15 1

The difference in talent is stark. The Seahawks had as many defensive All-Pros in a single season than Atlanta did in the entirety of Quinn’s tenure. It’s possible that the game passed him by in a hurry, but it’s more likely that he was cooking up a defense with groceries on a budget. The Seahawks defense was never better than it was the two years Quinn was at the helm according to DVOA.

The club didn’t select talent worthy of paying big money, nor did they invest in external talent to boost the base. The lack of star power showed itself in the final results.

What does it mean for Dallas? It means that to expect any meaningful turnaround, they’ll need to spend some significant resources fixing a unit that’s been long ignored. The Jones family has spent its time shopping in the bargain bin in free agency and spending draft capital building one of the most dangerous offenses in the league.

It’s possible that with luck alone, Quinn and the Cowboys defense as currently constructed can hover around league average. But it’s more likely that without an influx of talent and resources, it will be the same old story going forward.

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Mock Draft Monday: Cowboys focus on defense for Dan Quinn’s arrival

The Dallas Cowboys have a new defensive coordinator and Dan Quinn is going to need a lot of reinforcements to get the ship going in the right direction. If the Cowboys can find some spending capital, they’ll need to address some of their biggest …

The Dallas Cowboys have a new defensive coordinator and Dan Quinn is going to need a lot of reinforcements to get the ship going in the right direction. If the Cowboys can find some spending capital, they’ll need to address some of their biggest needs in free agency, and that is even more of the case when looking at the strengths in this year’s draft class.

There isn’t a Top-10 lock player at either defensive tackle or safety, two of the three biggest needs going into 2021. Assuming Dallas addresses those needs in some level of free agency, they’ll still need reinforcements there as well as front-line starters at other positions. Here’s our attempt to round out those positions with impact players using The Draft Network’s simulator and scouting reports.

Roster Moves: Bears sign 10 players to reserve/future contracts

The Bears inked 10 players that finished the season on their practice squad to reserve/future contracts on Monday.

The Chicago Bears wrapped up their 2020 season with a wild-card loss to the New Orleans Saints, and now Chicago faces an offseason with a ton of questions.

The Bears signed 10 players that finished the season on their practice squad to reserve/future contracts on Monday.

5 takeaways from Bears’ wild-card playoff loss to the Saints

Before we dive into the Bears’ offseason questions, here are our takeaways from Sunday’s postseason loss vs. Saints.

“I expect nothing, and I’m still let down.”

If there was ever a quote to sum up my feelings regarding the Chicago Bears losing to the New Orleans Saints 21-9 in the playoffs, it would be this gem said by Dewey from the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle.

The Bears came into their wildcard matchup with the Saints as double-digit underdogs and were clearly hobbled as many key players, such as linebacker Roquan Smith, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and wide receiver Darnell Mooney, were out due to injuries. But instead of rolling over immediately, they actually made a game of it and kept the score close for the entire first half.

Thanks to their solid defense, fans began to believe the Bears had a chance to pull off one of the biggest playoff upsets in recent memory. All of that vanished in the third quarter, however, as they unraveled thanks to untimely penalties, undisciplined players, poor tackling and questionable coaching.

The loss, while expected, still hurt because of how a few missed opportunities might have changed a game that was close for much of the afternoon. Now, the offseason officially begins with the Bears seemingly finding themselves at a fork in the road. But before we dive into those questions, here are my takeaways from Sunday’s postseason loss.

Saints to face 3 first-year coaches in 2021 after Eagles fire Doug Pederson

The New Orleans Saints will play against first-year head coaches with the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons in 2021.

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The specifics of the New Orleans Saints’ 2021 schedule haven’t been nailed down yet, though they do know their opponents. And at least three of the teams they’ll play against in 2021 will be managed by first-year head coaches now that the Philadelphia Eagles have parted ways with coach Doug Pederson.

That group includes the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons (in two games in the NFC South), who could hire a pair of former Saints assistants to fill their vacancies at head coach and general manager. The Jets fired coach Adam Gase after the 2020 regular season concluded, while the Falcons dismissed Dan Quinn midway through.

It’s easy to take Sean Payton for granted so deep into his Saints tenure, having been hired back in 2006; only New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has held the position longer, dating back to 2000. But it sure is reassuring to see the Saints focused on advancing further into the playoffs each year when other franchises are shuffling the deck again.

Philadelphia Eagles fire head coach Doug Pederson after five seasons

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Matt Nagy met with Bears players in final 2020 team meeting on Monday

The fate of Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy still isn’t known. There’s a chance he will get fired after back-to-back sub-par performances by the Bears against the Packers in the regular-season finale and Saints in the NFL wild-card round. Chicago was …

The fate of Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy still isn’t known. There’s a chance he will get fired after back-to-back sub-par performances by the Bears against the Packers in the regular-season finale and Saints in the NFL wild-card round.

Chicago was outplayed by the upper-class of the NFC. Their vulnerabilities were exposed. They have no quarterback, no cohesion on offense, and were a team that’s as undisciplined as any this city has witnessed in quite some time.

Much of that falls on the head coach. Still, there have been multiple reports of Nagy’s ‘safe’ status entering 2021. And if Monday’s actions are any clue, it appears he’ll be back for at least one more year.

Nagy orchestrated the final team meeting of 2020 (something that’d be odd for a soon-to-be-fired coach to do) and his message to the Bears was pretty simple and straightforward.

“He wants us to take this time to relax and get a mental break,” said defensive lineman Bilal Nichols.

Nagy also offered praise for the way his players handled the most challenging regular season in modern history.

After going 12-4 and winning an NFC North title in his first year on the job, Nagy’s gone 8-8 in back-to-back seasons. He has two playoff berths on his resume and enough goodwill to suggest he’s going to get another crack at turning Chicago around.

Whether that’ll be with GM Ryan Pace and QB Mitch Trubisky at his side is another question entirely.

 

Allen Robinson on playing elsewhere in 2021: ‘Everything is on the table’

Now that the 2020 season has come to a close for the Chicago Bears, it’s time for the front office to make some difficult decisions on the most pressing offseason questions. It all starts at quarterback, where the future of the position will come …

Now that the 2020 season has come to a close for the Chicago Bears, it’s time for the front office to make some difficult decisions on the most pressing offseason questions.

It all starts at quarterback, where the future of the position will come down to one simple question: Is Mitch Trubisky the guy? If not, it’s time to move on. I think we all know the answer (it’s no!), but nothing can be assumed at this point.

Once a decision is made on the quarterback dilemma, the Bears have to decide whether wide receiver Allen Robinson deserves a payday consistent with the top five players at his position (north of $20 million per season) or to let him walk in free agency. They have the franchise tag to buy another year before making a long-term call, but Robinson, who met with the media on Monday, has no interest in discussing the tag.

“I plead the fifth on that,” he said.

A-Rob was less shy when it came to discussing what his future could hold, which at this point is just about anything.

“Right now, everything is on the table.”

One of the options available to Robinson is a return to Chicago, which is something he’d welcome if the dollars make sense.

“I do have a great fondness for this city and for this organization,” said A-Rob. “Unfortunately, in a (contract) situation like this, that’s not the only thing that matters. … There are more things that weigh out than just the fondness of something.”

Robinson knows this is the business side of football and said he isn’t taking the contract situation personally. Let’s face it, why would he? If the Bears up the ante and pay him what he wants, all is well. If they don’t, there are going to be plenty of teams that will.

In the end, Robinson will get the contract he deserves. Hopefully, it will be as a long-term member of the Bears.

These 30 Bears are set to be free agents this offseason

The Bears have 22 unrestricted free agents, two restricted free agents and six exclusive rights free agents heading into this offseason.

The Chicago Bears have a long offseason ahead where some pretty important decisions await them. Quite a few of those will come in regards to the roster, where there are some decisions to make regarding in-house free agents and players currently under contract.

The Bears have 22 unrestricted free agents, two restricted free agents and six exclusive rights free agents, per Spotrac.

Here’s a look at the 30 Bears players set to hit the open market in 2021.

Matt Nagy talks job security: ‘We haven’t gotten into any of that’

When asked about his future with the Bears and his job security, Matt Nagy told the media that those conversations haven’t happened yet.

There was a time earlier this season where it appeared that Matt Nagy’s time in Chicago would be coming to an end following back-to-back disappointing seasons.

Following a six-game losing streak, the Bears appeared poised to clean house at the remainder of the season. And then Chicago went 3-1 to finish the regular season and locked up a postseason berth, which only seemed to prolong the inevitable.

When asked about his future with the Bears and his job security, Nagy told the media that those conversations haven’t happened yet.

“We haven’t gotten into any of that in regards to that stuff,” Nagy said after Chicago’s 21-9 loss to New Orleans. “Like I told y’all at the beginning of the week, we’ve been so focused in on this game, and then the same thing goes with the staff. It’s probably not just our staff, it’s probably a lot of staffs; whether it’s promotions or demotions or whatever, there’s always change, that’s just how it goes.

“So, that’s something that tomorrow for us, as a team, we’ll do all of our exit interviews and all of that stuff and talk to the guys, but that’ll be down the road. I’m just at a point right now where I could literally say I just appreciate the fight of these players and tomorrow we’ll discuss the other stuff.”

While you could argue Chicago should clean house entirely, will the Bears actually decide to part ways with Nagy?

After all, there were reports that surfaced just last week that Nagy’s job appeared safe for 2021, at least. Although, you’d figure that if his job was safe before making the postseason that it would be safe after a playoff loss. But an embarrassing loss in the wild-card round, where Nagy’s team appeared undisciplined and unprepared, could certainly be a reason to move on, right?

If the Bears organization were to move on from Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace, that’s something that would happen fairly quickly, especially with a slew of other NFL teams currently looking for new head coaches and general managers.

So stay tuned over these next few days.

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The Chicago Bears will pick 20th in the 2021 NFL Draft

With their wild-card playoff loss, the Chicago Bears locked up the No. 20 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

For the first time in three years, the Chicago Bears will have their first-round draft pick. And following Chicago’s postseason exit, it’s never too soon to look toward to the future.

With their 21-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round, the Bears locked up the No. 20 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The last time the Bears held the 20th pick in the NFL draft, they selected offensive lineman Kyle Long in 2013.

It isn’t exactly ideal given Chicago’s need at several positions, including quarterback, offensive line and wide receiver. But quarterback will be the biggest topic of conversation with just Nick Foles under contract currently in 2021.

There are realistically six top quarterbacks — Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mac Jones and Kyle Trask — that should go off the board well before Chicago’s selection, which leaves the Bears in quite a conundrum at quarterback. They could stick with Foles, re-sign Mitchell Trubisky to a one or two-year deal or add a free agent and draft a quarterback to develop.

With less than four months until the 2021 NFL Draft, there will be plenty for Ryan Pace to consider — that is, assuming he remains the Bears’ general manager.

The 2021 NFL Draft will take place in Cleveland, Ohio, from April 29-May 1.

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