Chicago Bears 2017 free agency profiles: Cornerbacks

Dre Kirkpatrick, age 27 (6-foot-2, 190 pounds)

Coming out of Alabama in 2012, Kirkpatrick had a lot of pressure on him. His first few seasons, however, didn’t go as planned. He dealt with injuries, and he got buried in the depth chart. It appeared as if his professional career would go nowhere.

He kept at it, however, and had a coach like Marvin Lewis behind him. Eventually, he became one of the top cornerbacks in the league.

“Look at Dre Kirkpatrick. He comes here with the expectations of Alabama and the great things he did there,” Lewis said. “He got injured as a rookie, and didn’t get to play… Every day he was up and down. We laugh about it now…

“To me, he’s grown so much… He’s a guy who has grown up, and it’s been so cool to be a part of and watch. He and I still have our moments every day, of course…

“He goes, ‘All you have to do is give me that look, I know what you mean.’ That works,” Lewis said. “There’s a number of guys like that, and it’s been great. He’s one that has a career here that didn’t get started the way he, or we, wanted. Yet he’s battled his way through it and come out the other side.”

Kirkpatrick has the length to go up against any receiver and fight for the ball. Fight is the key word, as he battles on every play. After his injury problems early in his career, he’s been pretty durable. He missed only one game over the past three seasons, and played in over 90 percent of the snaps.

After his seasons in Cincinnati, the time for Kirkpatrick to move on. After all the playoff appearances with no losses, now that they failed to even make it there this season, a rebuild should be in place. They have many potential free agents and they cannot sign them all. The arrest of Adam Jones may change that, however.

Having Kirkpatrick would help the Chicago Bears. A guy who grinds every day, doesn’t make excuses and works on improvement. This is a guy who the fans would love. His teammates would love him as well.