Bears GM Ryan Pace hasn't covered himself in glory this offseason. Neither the trade for Nick Foles nor the sizable contract given Jimmy Graham have drawn much support. Those moves take some attention away from another questionable deal: 5 years and $70 million for much-traveled pass rusher Robert Quinn.
But with Quinn, at least, there's the potential for him to give Chicago's defense some of the bite it lacked a year ago. The Bears ranked 24th in sacks last year (after back-to-back top-10 finishes) and 15th in fumble recoveries (two years after ranking No. 1). Quinn is now with his fourth team the last four seasons, but he should help this defense get back up among the league's better groups in both areas.
With Quinn and Khalil Mack, the Bears now have not only two of the league's best pass rushers but two of the best at forcing fumbles. (And there's a correlation: of the 48 times in the past decade a defender has forced at least 5 fumbles, more than two-thirds of those players have had at least 8 sacks in those seasons.) Just four players have multiple seasons forcing 5-plus fumbles in the last 10 years. Half of them now play for the Bears.
In the table, which also shows sacks, players with 2 or more seasons forcing 5 fumbles are in bold.
| PLAYERS WITH 5 FORCED FUMBLES, 2010-2019 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Team | Pos | Sck | FF |
| 2010 | Osi Umenyiora | NYG | DE | 11.5 | 10 |
| 2012 | Charles Tillman | CHI | CB | 0.0 | 10 |
| 2013 | Robert Mathis | IND | OLB | 19.5 | 8 |
| 2019 | Chandler Jones | ARI | LB | 19.0 | 8 |
| 2019 | T.J. Watt | PIT | OLB | 14.5 | 8 |
| 2013 | Robert Quinn | STL | DE | 19.0 | 7 |
| 2018 | J.J. Watt | HOU | DE | 16.0 | 7 |
| 2011 | Terrell Suggs | BAL | OLB | 14.0 | 7 |
| 2018 | Dee Ford | KC | OLB | 13.0 | 7 |
| 2012 | Charles Johnson | CAR | DE | 12.5 | 7 |
| 2019 | Shaquil Barrett | TB | LB | 19.5 | 6 |
| 2012 | Von Miller | DEN | OLB | 18.5 | 6 |
| 2016 | Vic Beasley | ATL | OLB | 15.5 | 6 |
| 2018 | T.J. Watt | PIT | OLB | 13.0 | 6 |
| 2018 | Khalil Mack | CHI | OLB | 12.5 | 6 |
| 2017 | Yannick Ngakoue | JAX | DE | 12.0 | 6 |
| 2010 | Justin Tuck | NYG | DE | 11.5 | 6 |
| 2011 | Cliff Avril | DET | DE | 11.0 | 6 |
| 2012 | Elvis Dumervil | DEN | DE | 11.0 | 6 |
| 2010 | James Hall | STL | DE | 10.5 | 6 |
| 2010 | James Harrison | PIT | OLB | 10.5 | 6 |
| 2012 | John Abraham | ATL | DE | 10.0 | 6 |
| 2016 | Bruce Irvin | OAK | OLB | 7.0 | 6 |
| 2013 | Jerrell Freeman | IND | ILB | 5.5 | 6 |
| 2010 | Roman Harper | NO | SS | 3.0 | 6 |
| 2013 | Alec Ogletree | STL | OLB | 1.5 | 6 |
| 2014 | Ryan Kerrigan | WAS | OLB | 13.5 | 5 |
| 2016 | Cameron Wake | MIA | DE | 11.5 | 5 |
| 2016 | Cliff Avril | SEA | DE | 11.5 | 5 |
| 2012 | DeMarcus Ware | DAL | OLB | 11.5 | 5 |
| 2017 | Aaron Donald | LA | DE | 11.0 | 5 |
| 2016 | Khalil Mack | OAK | DE | 11.0 | 5 |
| 2014 | Robert Quinn | STL | DE | 10.5 | 5 |
| 2010 | Dwight Freeney | IND | DE | 10.0 | 5 |
| 2018 | Justin Houston | KC | OLB | 9.0 | 5 |
| 2011 | Jabaal Sheard | CLE | DE | 8.5 | 5 |
| 2019 | Khalil Mack | CHI | OLB | 8.5 | 5 |
| 2013 | Cliff Avril | SEA | DE | 8.0 | 5 |
| 2012 | Rob Ninkovich | NE | DE | 8.0 | 5 |
| 2015 | Jamie Collins | NE | OLB | 5.5 | 5 |
| 2010 | Drew Coleman | NYJ | CB | 4.0 | 5 |
| 2019 | Ryan Anderson | WAS | LB | 4.0 | 5 |
| 2010 | Charles Woodson | GB | CB | 2.0 | 5 |
| 2013 | Troy Polamalu | PIT | SS | 2.0 | 5 |
| 2012 | Brandon Spikes | NE | MLB | 1.0 | 5 |
| 2011 | Quintin Mikell | STL | FS | 1.0 | 5 |
| 2016 | Keanu Neal | ATL | SS | 0.0 | 5 |
| 2017 | Lavonte David | TB | OLB | 0.0 | 5 |
Mack is one of only two players with three such seasons in the last decade. He's also one of two guys to do it each of the last two years (along with Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt).
The Quinn signing is definitely a plus for the Bears defense. With just 32 sacks and 9 fumble recoveries in 2019, this was a bottom-10 fantasy defense (1 point for sacks, 2 for takeaways, 6 for touchdowns). The previous two years, Chicago averaged 46 sacks and 12 fumble recoveries, and was a top-10 fantasy group. I'm not sure they'll wind up back in the top 10 in this year's rankings, but it's possible. Maybe Pace overpaid for Quinn, but if he comes through with another big sack- and fumble-producing season, no one will care too much.
--Andy Richardson