Why the Bears Should Have Interest in Takk McKinley

Falcons edge rusher has better numbers than Leonard Floyd did with the Bears and now is a free agent after being cut by the Falcons

If the Bears put up with Leonard Floyd for four seasons and with Cordarrelle Patterson's GM desires on social media, surely they have to take a look at Takkarist McKinley.

The Atlanta Falcons waived their first-round draft pick from 2017, the 26th overall pick after he had wanted out of Atlanta and also went to social media to express his frustrations.

McKinley has only a sack and seven quarterback hits this year, which is the same number of sacks and five more quarterback hits than Robert Quinn has had for the Bears but in four fewer games. McKinley had an injury earlier that kept him out of the game with the Bears and limited his play.

For 45 games in his career, McKinley has numbers comparable to Floyd or a little better, but wouldn't be getting the $13 million a year the Bears decided not to pay Floyd.

McKinley has 17 1/2 career sacks for 45 games with 22 tackles for loss and 45 quarterback hits. Floyd had 18 1/2 career sacks in 54 games with 26 tackles for loss and 44 quarterback hits. McKinley came up big in his one season in the playoffs. In 2017 he had sacks in both of the Falcons' playoff games.

The main reason to be interested would be the lack of Quinn's production in this defense, with two quarterback hits and a sack, and the marginal production from two other back up outside linebackers. In addition, McKinley is only 25 years old and the Bears brought in a pass rusher for the future in the fifth round this year but Trevis Gipson currently is working with the scout team.

It's possible the Bears might not be interested because of his attitude. McKinley had no problem last week on Twitter saying the Falcons had rejected a chance to trade him for a second-round pick last year and had other offers for middle-to-late-round picks for him this year.

Then they decided to cut him.

"I only have 17.5 career sacks," was McKinley's Twitter comment, which he ended with three clown emojis.

Some might find his three clowns far more incendiary than the GM comments Cordarrelle Patterson has been making about acquiring other players, and it probably is. But it's funny.

Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris didn't think so, and accused McKinley of pouting.

Now he's free to pout or smile elsewhere, and come back and burn the Falcons.

The Bears could use someone better than Leonard Floyd and with bigger production numbers than the players they now have at the position.