Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune answers your questions:
“The Bears finished with a total of 35 sacks last year with Lamarr Houston, Willie Young and Pernell McPhee counting for 20 1/2 of them. Including Leonard Floyd, would you pick the over/under on 32 combined sacks? And is there a chance to see all four of them on the field at the same time? — Jesse G., San Diego”
“I think 32 sacks for the foursome might be a little ambitious but I wouldn’t rule it out. A lot of that will depend on game situations. If the Bears are winning games and holding leads in the second half of games, they’ll have more opportunities to get after the quarterback. If you add defensive end Akiem Hicks to the mix, those five players could very well hit 32 sacks combined.”
I tend to agree with this but would point out one factor that Biggs didn’t mention. Both Houston and Young were coming off knee injuries and certainly weren’t 100% for at least the first half of 2015. My experience is that many players with such injuries aren’t the same until two years out. That means both players should be able to generate more sacks this year than they did last year, maybe as many as three or four a piece.
I’m not all that optimistic about the Bears chances of competing this year for a playoff spot, mostly due to lack of depth. But that doesn’t appear to me to be a problem at this critical position. I like their options at pass rusher and that’s a good sign. It’s such a huge part of the game and when you’ve got the right guys there, and I think they do, you have a big part of the puzzle solved.
EDIT: It has been pointed out to me that Young’s injury was a torn achilles tendon. My apologies. My point still stands, however.