Chicago Bears Sign Free Agent Cornerback Marcus Cooper

The Chicago Bears have signed free agent cornerback Marcus Cooper to help bolster secondary.

The Chicago Bears continue to make nice under-the-radar adds in the secondary. On Saturday, the team announced that they have signed free agent cornerback Marcus Cooper.

Cooper was a seventh-round selection by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2013 NFL Draft but never played a down for the team. Cooper played with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2013 to 2015. He showed flashes in Kansas City but was never able to make a consistent impact on the team.

Cooper broke out with the Arizona Cardinals last season, playing a big role on the outside in their defense. He had four interceptions for the Cardinals last year and played strong man-to-man coverage all season long. For his play last season, Cooper was named a Pro Bowl alternate.

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The 27-year-old Cooper is listed at 6-2, 192 pounds. He is a long and athletic cornerback who shows fantastic natural man-to-man coverage skills. Cooper’s length and overall size will make him a strong fit in Chicago. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is known to love big cornerbacks on the outside.

The amount of money the Bears have given Cooper has yet to be announced, but according to Adam Caplan of ESPN, it is a three-year deal. Cooper is a talented guy who has a lot of long-term potential. It is nice to see the Bears locking down a talent like him at an important position of need for the next few years.

Cooper is still a relative unknown, but the skills are in place for him to step in and be an immediate success for the Bears. Fangio does a great job of getting his players ready and should be able to put Cooper in a position to succeed.

Next: Remaining Free Agents Bears Should Target

The Chicago Bears did not go crazy at the top-end of the free agent secondary market, but they have done an incredible job of finding value in the back-end. Cornerback was one of their biggest needs on the roster and Cooper is a talented player who can help them tremendously. Fantastic high-value signing by Ryan Pace and company here.