When the Chicago Bears signed Jeremiah Attaochu, it could be assumed that it means Barkevious Mingo’s run with the team is over. The Bears have Trevis Gipson and James Vaughters as depth edge rushers, and Attaochu should slot in for the snaps Mingo took. There would be no room for both.
With the one-to-one direct replacement, it is worth looking into who is the better fit. Of course. Attaochu coming from Denver and Vic Fangio can signal that they feel he is more equipped to play a role in this defense. Still, Mingo did play an off-ball role as a platoon linebacker with Robert Quinn, so he was thought to be a decent scheme fit. Is there something they see in Jeremiah Attaochu?
Run Defense
Jeremiah Attaochu played 164 run defense snaps last season, per PFF. With Mingo play 170, you can see how they do look to keep this as a direct replacement. Overall Attaochu had 12 run stops for a loss or unsuccessful play. That is a 7.3 run stop rate. Mingo had 8 for a 4.7 rate. This holds up for Attoachu who has had a 6.6 and 8.1 run stop rate in the past two seasons.
Mingo also missed three tackles to just one for Attaochu. This could play a role in why they chose Attaoachu.
Pass Rush
Attaochu had 198 snaps to 141 for Mingo. Still, he was on a team that lost Von Miller, while the Bears only use Robert Quinn as a pass rusher, so Mingo loses out on pass-rush snaps. The thought would be that Attoachu would be closer to 140 next season.
Still, he had 20 pressures, to 15 for Mingo. While that is better, Mingo had a 6.4 pressure rate to 6.1 for Attaochu. That comes from 5 fewer pressures but on 57 fewer chances.
Coverage
Last year Mingo was dropped into coverage 62 times, while Attaochu dropped back just 33. That is a result of Mingo rushing less, but we may see fewer coverage snaps as well next year. Still, Attaochu had seven coverage stops to five of Mingo.
Overall
When you break it down, it is clear the Chicago Bears are swapping out two players who are used in a similar role. Still, it does look like Attaochu is an upgrade, albeit not major. He is more consistent against the run and has similar success as a pass rusher. As a rotational third rusher, the Bears did well.