Robert Quinn's Status Clouds Bears Personnel Picture
Injuries and other unexplained situations are affecting the Bears defense.
With 25 days left until the opener with the Detroit Lions, it can't be considered a positive when two situations include starters who haven't been on the field in a Bears uniform.
Outside linebacker Robert Quinn didn't go through either of the two padded practices and the Bears have been vague about his situation or return.
"He had a personal issue that he was dealing with," Bears coach Matt Nagy said. "He dealt with that. And now we're kind of back to physically just making sure we're smart in regards to how we handle him as a vet.
"He's been playing this game for a long time and we want to just make sure that we do it the right way. That’s just kind of the plan that we're on right now. It's nothing for us that's concerning. We just want to take out time with it."
It sounds as if they plan to ease Quinn back onto the field, but the description invited interpretation.
On Wednesday outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino added to the confusion by talking about the situation with Quinn as if it was an injury rather than a personal issue.
"Where he is right now is Rob's on his own program a little bit right now," Monachino said. "He's got his own set of requirements that we have to get done with Rob first. He is exactly where he needs to be.
"He's had a few things come up. Based on those things we've got to continue to bring him along slowly. He is in the ramping-up phase. What we need to see out of Rob before the 13th is a fully healthy Robert Quinn that's ready to pop out of his skin on game day. And we're all building in that direction right now from the head coach all the way through me."
Asked more specifically if this is an injury situation, Monachino said: "I'm just playing off of what our trainers and our head coach tell me to do. That's a question for Matt."
No mention of an injury situation or status had been made regarding Quinn prior to the start of padded practices Aug. 17.
The situation with Quinn at practice is compounded by Khalil Mack's relative inactivity to date. He's on the practice field sporadically.
"We are managing Khalil's reps simply because we can," Monachino said. "We've got four players that we really need to get a good feel for and at the end of the day when I say we're managing those reps, is him taking four less than thoe four players much management? Not really. We can pick and choose with Khalil, the reps that he needs in practice. And that's the phase that we're in with him right now."
The Bears are looking actually at five outside linebackers besides Mack and Quinn, in Mack's brother Ledarius, rookie Trevis Gipson, Barkevious Mingo, Isaiah Irving and James Vaughters.
Monachino said he has little concern Mack or Quinn could be ready physically for the opener at Detroit Sept. 13. With Quinn, though, it's a matter of getting time in the defense at practice. He's basically made a position switch from 4-3 end to standing up as a linebacker in a 3-4 on the outside.
"I know that based on what they did all throughout the offseason I know they're in fabulous shape, both of them," Monachino said. "I know that they're conditioned to play football and to play it for as many snaps as we would ask them to play. I think from a football standpoint there's a little bit of a different feel for the physical part of the game and I can't wait until we can get more and more of that with both of them."
The other injury situation is more clear. After cornerback Artie Burns went out with an ACL tear on Tuesday, the Bears have turned to using Kevin Toliver at cornerback because rookie second-round pick Jaylon Johnson has been missing practice reps as he recovers.
Johnson had offseason shoulder surgery and the Bears are bringing him along very slowly. So Toliver is the guy, it would seem. Toliver is an undrafted free agent from LSU who has been with the Bears two seasons but has been a backup and special teams player.
Defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano thinks Toliver has improved his understanding of the defense.
"So I think he's grown, again, from a mental standpoint," Pagano said. "Physically, all the tools are there.
"Now he's just got to go do it. He's got to go line up and he's got to compete and he's got to make plays."
While saying this, the Bears have also actually used slot cornerback Buster Skrine on the outside in practice, as well. Skrine had been an outside cornerback with Cleveland prior to moving to slot with the Jets. He played slot last year in his first Bears season.
"A lot of times in this thing, you play 60-70 percent of sub (package), so he's always slid inside," Bears defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend said. "But he's capable of playing outside. He's a fantastic player. He plays the game the right way.
"He's gonna give you his all every day. That's all you can ask for. But Buster is a true defensive back that sometimes gets type-cast as a nickel."
It seems a matter of time until Johnson gets the call at outside cornerback, but how long that matter of time is remains to be seen.
Until then, it could be Skrine moving out there if Toliver doesn't handle it.
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