What will the Chicago Bears defense look like without Robert Quinn?
The Chicago Bears are off and running to the 2022 NFL trade deadline. With nearly six full days left before the deadline hits, Ryan Poles made a move that sent defensive end, Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles. In return, the Eagles sent a 2023 fourth-round pick. The return was slightly better than I was hoping for, but that is also due to the Eagles being undefeated and that fourth-rounder will be closer to a fifth-rounder than a third.
If we look at the current breakdown of the Chicago Bears defensive ends, Robert Quinn is leading the way with 68% of the defensive snaps. Behind him is Al-Quadin Muhammad with 58%, Trevis Gipson with 44%, Dominique Robinson with 38%, and finally Jonathan Kingsley with 7% of the defensive snaps.
We have to make mention of the fact that Robert Quinn has been seeing plenty of double-teams that none of the other players will likely see going forward. Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson have been the most efficient and could see double teams at times, but it will come at a much lower clip than Quinn was seeing.
How will the Chicago Bears defense look without Robert Quinn?
With Robert Quinn coming off the roster, the Chicago Bears defensive front looks much younger. Al-Quadin Muhammad is now the oldest vet at only 27 years old. Gipson is 25, while Robinson and Kingsley are both 24. The Bears are looking to see what they have in their youth while trying to retain draft picks for a player who isn’t part of the team’s future.
Robert Quinn hasn’t looked as good as he did in 2021. He looked a step slow and after coming off an 18.5 sack season, he only has eight tackles, one sack and seven pressures this year. Statistically, he isn’t going to be hard to replace. From a leadership standpoint and mentor, he clearly is going to be missed. Roquan Smith became emotional when he heard the news during a press conference today. He got up and left.
We should expect to see more of Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson. Robinson’s early success made this move even easier. He has 1.5 sacks and 12 combined tackles and four pressures. Gipson has helped with 2 sacks, 11 combined tackles and 10 pressures. We should expect Gipson’s snap count to jump up into the mid-50s while Robinson will likely see mid-40s.
The Chicago Bears front four has not been great from a pressure standpoint. That also makes this move easier to swallow. I hope Robert Quinn goes out and dominates for the Eagles — except when the Bears play them on December 18, 2022. This was a good move for both sides.