Chicago Bears Free Agency: Top 5 Players They Should Pursue

Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

Buster Skrine, CB

With the loss of Charles Tillman, the Bears will be looking for a cornerback. Skrine was one of the best corners in the NFL last season, playing opposite another great corner, Joe Haden.

Haden had the second-highest cap hit among cornerbacks last season, making $12.1 million. Now Skrine looks to make somewhere between $5-8 million. That is a lot of money for two corners.

Skrine played in all of the Browns’ 64 games since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. He worked his way up to part-time starter in 2012, then full-time starter in 2013.

Skrine’s size may be a problem for some (he is 5-foot-9), but his work ethic makes up for that. He’s had to fight for everything he’s gotten on the football field, and coaches recognize that.

“Buster is one of those guys that would come out of the gate first in just how he’s prepared himself and how coachable he is,” Browns head coach Mike Pettine said. “He’s had some rough moments during the season — it hasn’t all been great — but his resiliency has been impressive, how he’s been able to bounce back. Especially when Joe (Haden) went down and having to step up the last two weeks, actually, to step up and put him on a top receiver, he’s responded and handled it well.”

Skrine is not one of the more well-known players in the league, so he could be a really nice surprise for fans when he comes in and puts in his work. The corner position was a sore spot last year, and Buster Skrine could shore that up in 2015.