This stat could quell Chicago Bears concerns for Will Anderson
There will be plenty of discussion about Will Anderson, and Jalen Carter, and which would be the best fit for the Chicago Bears. While the two both have different pros and cons, one con that is against Will Anderson may not be as worrisome as it is being stated.
Fans and analysts are pointing to the lack of production in 2022 as an issue for Will Anderson. It is true, he went from 31 tackles for loss down to 17, and he went from 17.5 sacks down to 10 sacks. His total pressures dropped from 82 to 65, per PFF.
Is Will Anderson’s production drop a concern for the Chicago Bears?
That is pretty noticeable, but one thing has to also be factored in. He went from playing 873 snaps as a sophomore to 685 snaps in 2022.
He was still as effective when you grade him on a per-snap basis. Per PFF, his pass rush win rate was 23.8%, and it went to 32.2% this season. His pass rush productivity rating went from 15.3 to 16.5 this season. So, he actually was more disruptive on a per-snap basis.
To be fair, his run-stop rate did go down from 10.2% to 6.8%, so he was not as effective there. Beyond that, he was not just sitting more due to blowouts, although sometimes that was the case. He had a few injury questions, and those are where more of the questions will arise, not the drop in production.
Still, he finished the season healthy and ended up playing in the bowl game for his team, to cap off a great career. The big difference is that Alabama played in the conference championship, a semifinal, and a championship game the year prior. They played two fewer games.
Anderson went from 58 snaps per game to 52 snaps per game, but six snaps per game are not notable. If Anderson played an SEC championship and a National Championship, the snaps, and production would be pretty similar.
Next. 3 reasons to be wary of Jalen Carter. dark
There are questions that Anderson has before we declare that he is the number one overall pick. However, if you are hearing someone say that Will Anderson was less effective, or was a worse pass rusher, it is not quite true. He was on pace to be much better, and on a per-snap basis was more productive.