Chicago Bears fans should expect to see less Robert Quinn this year
This is not an article about a possible trade including Robert Quinn. Although I do believe that trading Robert Quinn this year is possible, it is not the point being made on why Chicago Bears fans should expect to see less of him in 2022.
If you have not heard it yet, Matt Eberflus recently went on the Chris Collinsworth podcast to discuss many topics surrounding himself, the team, his past experiences and more. One thing that came up during the conversation was how Eberflus values a consistent rotation among his defensive line. He prefers that his defensive linemen stay fresh and at full speed. He noted how most will not see more than 50% of the defensive snaps as they play in waves.
Eberflus then singled out Robert Quinn as the Bears’ number one player on the defensive line. The way he speaks about Quinn, I would be surprised at this point if the Chicago Bears move on from him this season. Matt Eberflus states that he expects Robert Quinn to play in that 65% range.
The Chicago Bears will use a rotation that means less Robert Quinn
In order for the Bears’ defense to be able to have a substitution package like this, the team is going to need some serious depth. At the defensive end spot, the team will look to lean on Robert Quinn and Trevis Gipson as the true starters. Al-Quadin Muhammad will also see some serious action I am sure. A guy I thought would be cut this season was Jeremiah Attaochu, but as of now, he looks to also be in the mix. Then, the team has Charles Snowden, Sam Kamara, and Mario Edwards competing for playing time.
Now, 65% is nothing to scoff at. Robert Quinn should be able to do plenty of damage with those amount of snaps. However, last season Quinn actually saw 77% of the defensive snaps. Although the plan will be to rotate the defensive ends, it is possible that Quinn sees more than the 65% of snaps Eberflus is projecting. However, if the team can keep to this type of playing time, then the hope here is that Quinn will be faster and more effective on the downs he sees action.
The top three linemen for the Colts last season saw over a 50% snap share for what it’s worth. Al-Quadin Muhammad actually saw 73% of the Colts snaps last season. The year prior it was 56%. Tyquan Lewis saw 61% of the team’s snaps last year and 40% the year before. 2021 rookie defensive end, Kwity Paye saw 66% of the defensive snaps. Justin Houston was the top talent in 2020 and even he only saw 59% of the team’s defensive snaps.
If we look at the number of snaps that Robert Quinn saw in 2020, it was only 55% of the Bears’ defensive snaps. Now that we saw what Robert Quinn can do while healthy, the hope is that he continues down that path in this new system.