By: Jake Rajala

The pass-rushing warrior, Robert Quinn, is still seeking to wreak havoc against opposing quarterbacks at age 32. Quinn is coming off a monster 2021 season with second-team All-Pro honors as he unleashed 18.5 sacks, 22 QB hits, 17 TFLs, and 4 FFs. His 2021 campaign was almost as impressive as his 2013 season (19 sacks, 34 QB hits, 23 TFLs, and seven FFs).

It’s quite clear that Quinn has had two near-DPOY-winning seasons and that he’s enjoyed an impressive overall career (102 sacks, 175 QB hits, 108 TFLs). With that said, there is a fascinating, pivotal question surrounding the Bears DE: Is Robert Quinn a future Hall of Famer?

Before 2021, it didn’t appear that Quinn was impressive enough in his football journey to garner a gold jacket. After a surprisingly Amleth-like quest by the Bears pass rusher last season, I wholeheartedly believe that Quinn would be a HOF lock at this point.

Quinn doesn’t share the same background as J.J. Watt or Von Miller, but he does stack up well to the likely HOF-edge rusher Robert Mathis. Here is a sharp look at the career output by the former Colts pass-rusher:

• 123 sacks
• 141 QB hits
• 108 TFLs
• First-Team All-Pro
• Five Pro Bowl honors
• 54 FFs

It’s clear that Mathis has more PB selections, but Quinn has more AP honors, as Quinn was once first-team AP and second-team AP. Quinn already has more QB hits and the same number of TFLs as Mathis. Although, Mathis has won a pivotal Super Bowl ring with his team.

If Quinn retired today, I sincerely believe he would eventually give a HOF speech (similar to other countless members of the 2011 draft class). However, I anticipate him to have a couple of more Pro Bowl seasons before riding off into the sunset. If he can oust another AP season and a couple of Pro Bowl seasons, he could potentially be a first-ballot HOFer.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Chicago Bears have an authentic and utterly talented pass rusher in Robert Quinn. The former St. Louis Rams pass rusher unleashed 19 sacks and garnered First-Team All-Pro honors in 2013. After 2013, he made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and then was a ghost from the PB all the way until 2021. Well, coming off an 18.5 sack season (which is a Bears single-season sack record) w/ Pro Bowl honors, Quinn was rumored to follow Khalil Mack out of the Windy City. With that said, I’m going to untwine three reasons why CHI must keep Quinn.

Lone Ranger

It is quite obvious that Khalil Mack isn’t in a Bears uniform, but it also should be noted that Akiem Hicks is also out of Chicago (as he left for Tampa Bay). The Bears still have Trevis Gipson (7 sacks in his sophomore campaign) and Al-Quadin Muhammed (6 sacks in his fifth season), but Quinn is still the only top-end pass rusher or profile with a very promising ceiling. Quinn is 32 years old, but he still looks fresh and there should be a few more seasons until he is unable to perform at a Pro Bowl level.

Growth of other NFC North teams

The Green Bay Packers will certainly be a competitive NFC team in 2022, but it should be noted that the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions took fine leaps of progress this off-season. The Lions may have the 2022 DROY winner in Aidan Hutchinson and their offense should also dazzle with the rookie Jameson Williams and the explosive RB D’Andre Swift. I also expect the Minnesota Vikings to return to the post-season w/ Justin Jefferson, their shiny offensive-minded HC Kevin O’Connell, and a healthy Danielle Hunter. It won’t be easy for the young Justin Fields-led Bears to knock off the Vikings w/ Quinn intact. It would be a serious challenge for CHI to defeat the Viks without their veteran, All-Pro friend at DE.

Quinn’s attitude

There aren’t only a lot of Bears fans that want Quinn to remain in Chi-town. The sack artist himself has stated he wants to stay home and chase glory with the Bears. He is clearly happy with the scheme, the city, and the team’s direction. Barring a Miami Dolphins trade attempt for Quinn, I absolutely expect the Bears to retain one of the NFL’s biggest surprise performers last season.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs offense can score at will against any opponent, but they could certainly benefit from more pass rush talent on their defense. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three pass rushers that would be logical trade targets for the Chiefs.

Marcus Davenport

The New Orleans Saints pass rusher Marcus Davenport hasn’t quite cultivated into a reliable force on the field (11 missed games in the past two seasons combined). Nonetheless, Davenport is utterly productive in his on-field snaps. He registered an 88.8 grade by PFF last season. The Saints have two lethal pass rushers not named Marcus Davenport in Cameron Jordan and Payton Turner. They may be open to trading the slightly inconsistent Davenport, who is entering the final year of his contract.

Derek Barnett

The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the most talented front sevens in all of football. They brought in Haason Reddick (23.5 sacks in the past two seasons combined) and Brandon Graham will return healthy. With that said, the Eagles could be open to dealing with their young pass rusher, Derek Barnett. He has slightly underperformed, but he still has three seasons with 5+ sacks and 16+ QB hits. He could help the Chiefs have a fine pass-rushing rotation — as he also has sneaky upside.

Robert Quinn

The Bears shipped away the mythical figure in Khalil Mack this off-season. It wouldn’t be a complete surprise if the rebuilding team traded the expensive, 32-year-old pass rusher Robert Quinn, as well. Quinn could be the cherry on top for the Chiefs team, as he is coming off a monster 18.5 sack season. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report suggested that the Chiefs should consider acquiring Quinn. The former Ram would be the most challenging profile to acquire, but he may be worth it.

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By: Jake Rajala

It appears that Justin Fields will have a smile on his face after the Chicago Bears 2022 schedule was released yesterday. The team in Chi-town have the 24th easiest schedule in the NFL. The gritty Bears will face a less talented Green Bay Packers offense, but Fields and Matt Eberflus will also face a schedule that is near the opposite challenge of the LA Rams schedule (most difficult schedule) in 2022.

With that enunciated, I’m going to untwine three takeaways from the Bears 2022 schedule.

• The battle of the sophomore dual-threat QBs

The Bears will kick off the season against the San Francisco 49ers and Trey Lance. I believe the Bears show-down against SF is arguably their best opportunity to play spoilers, as they play an unproven QB in the first week of the season. If the Bears can have splash plays dialed up with Darnell Mooney or Velus Jones Jr, they could force Lance to really battle through the air and he could be out of his comfort zone. Fields also have a chance to prove he’s more talented than the 49ers QB1 that was selected ahead of him in the 2021 NFL Draft.

• Most talented opponent: Buffalo Bills

Justin Fields will face a monster challenge in Week 16 at home against the Buffalo Bills. If Fields can manage to beat the Bills, it may convince his followers that he is their future QB beyond 2022. He definitely needs to play better than the starting performance from previous sophomore Tua Tagovailoa against BUF: 21/39, 205 passing yds, 0 TDs, 1 INT.

• The Bears archnemesis: Green Bay Packers

It will obviously be a serious test for Fields to beat the Green Bay Packers in 2022. Although, the Bears could really turn the tide with their confidence against GB by splitting games with them in 2022. I believe the battle between the 2021 NFC Defensive Player of November Robert Quinn and the healthy David Bakhtiari will be very enjoyable. Quinn had 3 sacks combined against the Packers last season and they will need him to be unstoppable against A-Rod, especially without Khalil Mack. Quinn will dream about clinching a win with a sack against Rodgers and then doing the belt.

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By: Girvane Bola

In the 2014 season, Robert Quinn finished fourth in the AP DPOY voting. Seven years later, he had a phenomenal personal season. Quinn posted 18.5 sacks, his best since 2014, and his magnificent play on defense awarded him his third Pro-Bowl appearance and second All-Pro appearance. After last season, Quinn has the chance to win the Defensive Player of the Year award next season.

“He has a lot of pride in the way he plays and the product he puts on the field.” defensive coordinator Sean Desai said in December. Desai could not be more right about Quinn. At age 30, his pride and passion for the defensive game are not only evident but also infectious. His ability to get to opposing QBs and sack them with swiftness and ferociousness is astonishing. An example is his sack in the Week 2 win against Cincinnati Bengals. He shows tremendous pace and explosiveness to get to sack Burrow in the first quarter, the first of two in that game.

Furthermore, he can win DPOY with the high level of sacks Quinn can accumulate across the season. However, this could also be an argument against him, affirming his status as a wildcard and not a frontrunner. While 18.5 sacks are brilliant across the 2021 season, it is unlikely Quinn has a similar output of 18.5 or more. Nor does Quinn tie or break the NFL single-season sack record of 22.5. His sack total will most likely drop to approximately 13.5-16. Though good overall, it takes a lot to win DPOY now.

Last year saw Watt win the award. The defining factor was that Watt tied the NFL single-season sack record set by Giants legend Michael Strahan in 2001. What made this more remarkable was that the OLB did this in fewer games. To win the award now, one needs to tie or break a record that is considered unbeatable such as T.J. Watt and be impactful on the field.

Players like T.J. Watt and Aaron Donald have taken the defensive to new heights. Quinn must either match or exceed this. The Bears also need to improve their record if Quinn is considered for DPOY this upcoming season. Last year, his 18.5 sacks helped them win only six games. Yet, can they win more than six games with all those sacks? If the Bears become a playoff team with Quinn achieving 18.5 sacks or more, Quinn can be a contender for the Defensive Player of the Year.

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By: Jake Rajala

I envision the presence of the golden, Italian legend Frank Sinatra and the polarizing goon Tony Accardo, also known as “Joey Batters” when I witness Nick Bosa frequently take down opposing quarterbacks. The Bosa from the Bay Area and his brother from the City of Angels (Joey Bosa) have been all-star pass rushers in the league in the past few seasons. The Bosa bros clearly have the intimidating presence that the siblings from the film “Lawless” yield.

The younger Bosa in a San Francisco 49ers uniform has more potential than his older brother in my opinion. Nick (24 years old) is a couple of years younger than Joey (26 years old) and he’s had more success on a per-game basis in his career thus far. The SF pass-rusher made the Pro Bowl in his rookie year, as he notched 9 sacks. Nick Bosa would of course reel in a career-high 15.5 sacks in 2021, which was fourth in the NFL and second in the NFC. Bosa didn’t win DPOY last season, but I believe the motivating defensive end can soon strike gold and win the DPOY trophy that’s often claimed by pass rushers.

• Pedestrian NFC West competition

Bosa was clearly from another planet against his competition last season. Although, he didn’t mop the floor against his divisional rivals. He garnered 4.5 sacks in six games against his division foes. He didn’t turn up his success against his despised opponents in the wild NFC West. Bosa could benefit from watching the Saints Pro Bowl DE Cameron Jordan pin his ears back and beat down on the NFC South QBs Matt Ryan and Tom Brady in each matchup.

With this enunciated, I believe the blood-thirsty Bosa is primed to terrorize his NFC West opponents in 2022. The Los Angeles Rams LT Andrew Whitworth is 40 years old and coming off a Super Bowl victory. Whitworth could retire this offseason and many fans expect him to hang up his cleats soon. Bosa had a mere .5 sack in two regular-season matchups combined against the LA Rams last season, so he will be happy for Whitworth’s legacy and potential exit from the league in 2022. In Seattle, LT Duane Brown is a soon-to-be free agent, and he could not return next season. It seems realistic that Bosa will be licking his chops against weaker divisional competition next season.

• Age of Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald

The Chicago Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn turned back the clock and unleashed 18.5 sacks last season (second-most in career). I don’t foresee the 31-year-old edge rusher, who has two 10+ sack seasons since 2014, knocking out 14+ sacks in 2022.

I expect Quinn to get the treatment that Nick Bosa received in 2021. It was noted that the 49ers Pro Bowl DE was doubled-teamed more than any other pass rusher throughout most of the season. The world knows that Nick Bosa can dominate while being double-teamed, but I expect teams to be much more prepared to defend Quinn next season and Quinn will surely face a lot more challenges.

Aaron Donald has been a wrecking ball and Super Bowl champion in recent memory, but I believe his DPOY potential and annual DPOY prize are in his rearview mirror. Donald is 31 in May and he already faces a wall of pass protection in each pivotal matchup. I believe he can be an All-Pro player for the eighth season in a row, but I believe the young, sack machine in Kyle Shanahan’s squad has a higher ceiling than the Rams future Hall of Fame DT.

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