The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2022 NFL season, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. There are a number of players, coaches and front office members that are crucial to the team’s success this season.
Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 most important Bears for the 2022 season. We’ll recap their 2021 season, look ahead to 2022 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.
Next up at No. 26 is edge rusher Robert Quinn, who’s coming off an impressive year but whose future also remains up-in-the-air ahead of the 2022 season.
Background
AP Photo/Danny Karnik
Position: Defensive end
Age: 32
Experience: 12th season
2022 cap hit: $17.14 million
2021 recap
AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
Following a brutal first year with the Bears, Quinn bounced back with one of the best seasons of his career. He recorded a single-season franchise record 18.5 sacks, where he registered at least half a sack in 14 of 16 games he played. He logged 13 sacks in the final nine games. He also totaled 49 tackles and 17 tackles-for-loss, a team-high.
Quinn’s Pro Bowl season was made all the more impressive considering he did it mostly without star pass rusher Khalil Mack, who landed on injured reserve after season-ending foot surgery after Week 7. Quinn rose to the challenge of being the top guy off the edge, and he helped a defense that struggled in the secondary. It was a sensational bounce-back season after a rough first year in 2020, where Quinn totaled just two sacks.
2022 outlook
AP Photo/Duane Burleson
The reason why Quinn ranks this low on our list is that his outlook for the 2022 season is cloudy at best. After missing the entire offseason program, including mandatory minicamp, there are obvious questions about whether the Bears will deal him before the start of the regular season. That would place a greater emphasis on other defensive ends like Trevis Gipson and Al-Quadin Muhammad when looking at the immediate future for this team.
But if Quinn is still on the roster come Week 1, he’ll obviously be an integral part of this defense. Following Khalil Mack’s departure this offseason, Quinn is the top option off the edge for Chicago. With the transition to a 4-3 defense, Quinn returns to his natural defensive end position, where he has the potential to build off his…
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