Will Jeremiah Attaochu platoon with Robert Quinn with Chicago Bears?

The stock on Robert Quinn has been crashing down since about this time last year, not long after signing with the Chicago Bears. The recent reports were that he missed time at OTAs with a back injury. When you add in his poor 2020, the defensive coordinator change and the personnel changes around him there is a real belief that Quinn will not have a big part of the team’s plans. Anything he brings is over the top.

Still last year Quinn was already a part-time player, splitting snaps with Barkevious Mingo. Quinn played 596 snaps while Mingo was 418. The realization is that Quinn is not just going to be healthy and get close to 900 snaps which are where Khalil Mack is.

In fact, even though Quinn was banged up last season, he may play just as much, if not fewer snaps than the 596 that he played last year. With that in mind, the Bears are hoping to get 418, if not more than that from Jeremiah Attaochu.

Attaochu just so happened to play 414 snaps last year. That is significant, but even more so you factor in that he missed three games. In 2019 he missed four games but played 322 snaps. Both of those years were with Vic Fangio as his coordinator, too.

The reality is that Desai, like Fangio, likely trusts Attaochu to take in that similar role that Mingo played last year, if not even more profound.

One thing that will be worth noting is who will be playing the run defense snaps. In obvious pass downs, Quinn likely still gets the edge. On run downs, Mingo ruled, taking 192 snaps against the run. Attaochu played 167 snaps against the run last season, which once again signals that a similar if not bigger role in that regard will be had.

In a perfect world, Robert Quinn would be getting starter snaps and would be assisting Khalil Mack for a dangerous pass rush. That is not going to happen, and in the best case Quinn can capitalize on being a pass rusher side of a platoon with Jeremiah Attaochu.