Chicago Bears: 10 bold predictions following Khalil Mack trade

Bears lead the NFL in sacks

Think about, just for a second, what Vic Fangio was able to do in past years. Let’s look at just last season for example. The Bears finished no.7 in the NFL in sacks last year, all while not having a true threat coming off the edge.

Sure, Floyd had his moments. But, the injury bug once again bit and Floyd didn’t finish an entire season. You had Hicks leading the team in sacks with 8.5, but nobody finished in double-digits. The fact that Chicago finished so high in that category is a testament to how smart, intuitive and creative their defensive coordinator is.

Now, the Bears have added Mack — chalk him up for a minimum 10 sacks. They have added a guy in Smith, who Fangio will absolutely send up the middle on occasion. They have a healthy Trevathan, who Fangio will also send on a blitz at times. Plus, Floyd is back and should be able to play with a club early in the season.

Like I said previously, Mack makes everyone’s job easier. What happens when offenses are focused on stopping all of the guys I just mentioned, and then you have someone like Robertson-Harris coming off the edge? He’s shown plenty of big moments in the past, but hasn’t broken out just yet. Now, he has the easiest road to sacking the quarterback he’s ever had before — throw Bullard’s name in there as well.

Goldman should come up with a couple of sacks, too, based off the fact that the attention won’t be on him for the most part.

Let’s say 2018 looks similar to this:

Mack: 14.0 sacks

Floyd: 11.0 sacks

Hicks: 10.5 sacks

Smith: 4.5 sacks

Trevathan: 4.0 sacks

Robertson-Harris: 5.5 sacks

Bullard: 4.0 sacks

Other players combined: 6.0 sacks

That adds up to 59.5 sacks. Although it’s just an example, it isn’t outlandish. These are numbers that very well could happen. If the Bears finish with 59.5 sacks, they would have a great shot at leading the league in that category. Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers led the NFL with 56.0 sacks.