Sometimes the football gods just have a way of dropping an opportunity into your lap. It falls to the team on whether or not they take advantage. The Chicago Bears defense is about to encounter the toughest stretch of their 2019. All of them coming against playoff contenders with good-to-great quarterbacks. It starts with Aaron Rodgers on Sunday in Green Bay, then Patrick Mahomes at Soldier Field, and finally Kirk Cousins in Minnesota. Needless to say, the team will have to get a strong showing out of its pass rush.
This has been a problem of late with only Khalil Mack (obviously) being their most consistent performer. Leonard Floyd has just three sacks all season. Nick Williams, a former undrafted free agent and journeyman player has six. Aaron Lynch, the guy everybody thought was a good #3 pass rusher off the edge? He has two sacks. This isn’t going to cut it against the best of the best this month. That is why the imminent return of Akiem Hicks since his elbow injury in October will be so warmly welcomed.
However, the Bears may not have to stop there. An unexpected move by the Arizona Cardinals this week caught the NFL world slightly by surprise when they chose to waive 37-year old outside linebacker Terrell Suggs. While not the superstar he was in years past, the savvy veteran still has 5.5 sacks this season. He could be a nice extra jolt for a defense that must be at its best for the next 21 days.
Chicago Bears certainly wouldn’t get worse with Suggs
The Bears have insisted all year they’re not upset with the way Floyd has played at outside linebacker. True or not, the facts are he isn’t delivering where he’s getting paid to and that’s putting the quarterback on the ground. Suggs wouldn’t come in to replace him though. He’d be putting Lynch on the bench. Or better yet the street. The team made a huge mistake bringing him back when they had a huge opportunity this past offseason to find an upgrade who could both push Floyd and also help the pass rush rotation.
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What’s uncertain is where Suggs himself stands. He is subject to waiver claims so he doesn’t have a real say in these matters at the moment. Some believe he’s quietly hoping to not get claimed by anybody so he can return home to the Baltimore Ravens. Not a surprise since they’re currently one of the best teams in the NFL and a heavy favorite to make a run at the Super Bowl. He is a professional though and joining a defense with Mack, Hicks and other great talents would certainly interest him.
