Chicago Bears Training Camp Preview: Secondary

The Chicago Bears secondary took a beating last season. The unit got burned early and often against big-name quarterbacks. There are some new names in the unit and hope that a key member can have a bounceback season in the hopes that the yards and points allowed are reduced.

The Chicago Bears start their training camp on Wednesday. In our look at the different units, today we concentrate on the secondary.

The Bears’ secondary took a beating last season. Profootballfocus.com (subscription required) ranked the team 28th in the NFL in pass coverage. Out of 108 cornerbacks rated, the popular Kyle Fuller ranked 107 (even with five interceptions). Ironically, even with zero interceptions and the perception that he had a bad year, Tim Jennings ranked 25th.

The safeties again were not much to talk about. Out of 87 safeties ranked, Chris Conte ranked 63rd and Brock Vereen ranked 54th. Ryan Mundy had a decent year, ranking in the top two-thirds at 36th.

The Bears redid their safeties…again. The good news for most Bears fans is that Chris Conte (their favorite punching bag) is out. After a few seasons of bad play, he is not a concern anymore.

The Bears added Antrel Rolle through free agency. They also drafted Adrian Amos in this year’s draft.

Mundy and Rolle should be the starters. On paper, this should be an improved starting safety combination. They started nine games together with the New York Giants in 2013.

Rolle played in multiple Super Bowls, winning with the Giants and losing one with the Arizona Cardinals. He was a captain with the Giants in 2013 and 2014, and has 26 career interceptions in ten seasons, so he can be a leader.

Of course, those accomplishments are in the past, and Rolle wants to prove himself to his new teammates.

“You have to earn your stripes wherever you go,” Rolle said, according to ChicagoFootball.com. “It doesn’t matter what I’ve done in Arizona. It doesn’t matter what I’ve done in New York.

“I definitely have to earn my stripes, and I plan on doing so.”

Mundy led the team in tackles last season with 85. He will battle Brock Vereen for the starting spot, but Mundy is more physical than Vereen, so while Vereen may be the future for the Bears, Mundy is the present and will start.

The Bears drafted Adrian Amos in the fifth round. He is a former cornerback who converted to safety in his last two seasons in college. He is good in coverage, but the question on him is his physicality. How he does in camp and preseason will go a long way in determining his playing time during his rookie campaign.

The Bears also picked up Sherrod Martin, who was the Carolina Panthers’ second round pick in 2009 when Fox was there. He may be a bubble player, but should make it and get some playing time in rotation.

Undrafted rookie Anthony Jefferson is known as a very good tackler in college, but must show improvement in his instincts. He is a candidate for the practice squad.

The Bears cornerbacks suffered through some tough times last season. Going up against some great quarterbacks and wide receivers in the NFC North and beyond really took a toll on the unit.

Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Fuller had an up-and-down year last season. He had five interceptions, but those were pretty much early in the season. The rookie was schooled by some of the best quarterbacks in the league, having to go against Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and even Teddy Bridgewater twice. He also went up against Tom Brady as well.

Fuller was not expected to start his first year out, but when Charles Tillman went down, he took over. He took his lumps in 2014, but that should only make him better in 2015. He did have several injuries, but stayed in the lineup. Now he has a better idea of what to expect, and a healthy Fuller should be more productive in 2015.

Tim Jennings had back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons in 2012 and 2013,

Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

intercepting a total of 13 passes. In 2014, he had no interceptions. That led to a perception that he had a bad season.

While he did not have a Pro Bowl season, Jennings did not hurt the Bears. In addition to being the 25th-ranked cornerback overall, he ranked seventh against the run.

The lack of turnovers is the only area that had an affect on the defense. The defense stayed on the field too long, and that increased fatigue, which led to a bunch of points.

Jennings is working on getting back to form. He will start again, and look for him to thrive under defensive coordinator Vic Fanio, who has a knack for putting his players in position to succeed.

The Bears signed former University of Illinois star Alan Ball. He had some productive seasons from 2007-2013, playing safety and cornerback. He had injuries last season, however, so he signed a one-year prove it contract with the Bears. Expect him to be the primary player to come off the bench.

Demontre Hurst had a pretty good season last year. He played in fifteen games (one start), recording 39 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. He will be used primarily in nickel, and will battle Ball for playing time. He is the one player the Bears have who is fast, so Fangio will find a way to use that speed.

Al Louis-Jean will see some time on the field. He may not get a lot of playing time, but enough to add some depth.

Sherrick McManis has solely been a special teams standout, but he caught head coach Jon Fox’s eye playing under Fangio’s system. He still has a long way to play regularly at corner, but keep a lookout for him in camp.

Much of the reason for the secondary’s difficulties over the past few seasons has been the poor play of the defensive line. They just could not get to the quarterbacks, getting them out of their comfort zone. As a result, receivers were able to get open.

With a much improved line (and hopefully linebackers, but that is for a later time) pressuring the passers, the secondary will improve. There should be better continuity, and the turnovers should increase in 2015, which will also help the offense, putting them in better field position.

Next: Chicago Bears Training Camp Preview: Defensive Line

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