Chicago Bears: PFF ghosted wrong player in pass rusher tweet

Fans went wild after a recent tweet from Pro Football Focus, but the wrong Chicago Bears pass rusher was left out.

For the Chicago Bears to have any shot at a playoff run this season, they will have to get the most possible production out of their top-five defense. In 2019, the Bears were amongst the NFL’s elite defenses in most major categories, but they took a step back in terms of overall takeaways.

Because of this, many people thought the unit regressed immensely from 2018 to 2019. But, if the takeaways came at a higher rate, no one would’ve batted an eye.

Part of the equation to force additional takeaways comes in the form of a strong pass rush, and last year, the Bears were without Akiem Hicks for a while. It was a huge loss. Fortunately, he’s healthy now — and he, Khalil Mack and company have a new running mate.

Robert Quinn was signed to a lucrative free agent contract this year as the Bears essentially swapped him in for Leonard Floyd, who left for the Los Angeles Rams. Quinn brings more to the table than some Bears fans may realize, and one particular sports outlet seemed to forget about Quinn in a recent tweet that caught fire by Bears fans.

The obvious takeaway from this argument, as a Bears fan, is the fact that Pro Football Focus left Mack out of the conversation. But, if we’re talking about right now, Quinn actually should have been in this conversation.

Want proof? Let’s get it.

Last season, Quinn finished third in the NFL in overall disruption rate, per NFL.com. What does that mean? A disruption is either a sack, hurry or pressure from a pass rusher. So, on 17.2 percent of his snaps, Quinn disrupted the quarterback.

The only two higher than Quinn? Packers pass rusher Za’Darius Smith at 17.5 percent and Browns defensive end Myles Garrett at 18.5 percent.

Quinn actually had a higher sack rate (3.3 percent versus 2.8 percent) than Smith, and just 0.2 percent behind Garrett.

While Mack should be one of the most feared pass rushers in all of football, PFF missed the boat on this argument for current best pass rusher. If we’re being honest, we didn’t see Mack’s best in 2019, and I’m certain that will change in 2020.

But, fans need to realize just how valuable the Quinn signing was for the Bears. They got rid of a guy, in Floyd, who could hardly ever get home on a quarterback and replaced him with a player who had more sacks in 2019 than Floyd has had in his entire career.

The football world will learn soon enough to put some respect on Quinn’s name when referencing the league’s top pass rushers. Better yet, the Bears’ pass rush will be in the conversation for the best in football in 2020.