Bears defense ranked among NFL’s best despite disappointing 2019 season

The strength of the Chicago Bears over the last few seasons has been their defense, led by Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and Eddie Jackson. And while the 2019 season wasn't as dominant of a performance by the defense that 2018 was, there are still high expectations for the group entering 2020.

In a recent ranking of all 32 teams' defenses entering this season, the Bears checked-in among the best once again:

7. Chicago Bears

With a change in management from Vic Fangio to Chuck Pagano, the Bears’ defense remained consistently above-average even with a down year from Khalil Mack, and an offense led by Mitchell Trubisky that seemed destined to put that defensive in difficult situations more often than not. Then again, given the Bears’ history of quarterbacks, it’s something the franchise is used to. One thing that will help in 2020 and beyond is the fact that Chicago absolutely stole Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson with the 50th overall pick in the second round — Johnson carried first-round talent with him throughout his collegiate career. If Mack is able to once again become the dominant force he has been, there’s enough dangerous talent on this defensive roster — defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, linebacker Roquan Smith, and safety Eddie Jackson primary among them — to make this defense a top-five unit and almost make up for the quarterback shenanigans.

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There's one glaring omission from this analysis, and he's the player who could elevate Chicago's defense from really good to downright nasty: Robert Quinn.

The Bears signed Quinn to a five-year, $70 million contract in free agency with the hope that he'll provide Mack with the kind of pass-rushing sidekick that he so desperately needs. Former first-round pick and current Los Angeles Ram, Leonard Floyd, never became that guy and it really cost Chicago. Now, with Quinn in the fold, the Bears' pass rush should be almost unstoppable.

This ranking feels fair considering everything that went wrong for the Bears in 2019. It also has the potential to be way too low with the abundance of high-end talent Chicago has on defense. It's reasonable to think this unit can be a top-3 squad by season's end, and if they are, the Bears will be back in the playoffs.